


In the Dark of the Night

by 18lzytwner



Series: ThunderCats Third Series [1]
Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2019-07-04 08:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 24,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15838017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: A botched rescue mission leads to trouble with the Mutants while Lion-O struggles to sleep as reoccurring nightmares plague him. What happens when both seemingly collide?





	1. Chapter 1

As the sun faded over the distant mountains and the planet of New Thundera got ready for the ritual of putting her children to bed, a ship out of control careened toward the planet's airspace.

"This is cargo transport Three Delta Niner requesting immediate assistance! Rescue mission only partial success! We have severe engine trouble due to enemy fire! I say again! We are requesting immediate assistance!" The voice came in over the radio and Panthro immediately picked it up from his seat at the Control Room monitors.

"This is Cat's Lair. We read you. How many souls on board?" He asked as he hit the red alert button causing all of the alarms in the Lair to go off. The sounds of feet hitting the metal floors were soon heard.

"There are three crew members and four rescued passengers," came the reply.

"All right, don't panic. We've got assistance coming your way to accommodate everyone aboard. Stay on your current path," Panthro instructed as he turned to the group that had gathered around him. They didn't even discuss what was needed to be done. They had the information they needed.

"Cat's Lair come in! We just lost our port thrusters! The ability to slow our descent is gone!" The voice once again was filled with panic.

"Empty your trash chute. The blast from that should help you. The ThunderCats are on their way," Panthro said.

"Trash chute away!" The voice told him.

"It bought us only a few seconds…" at this point the voice sounded like the Cat on the other end of it had given up. Then there was silence. The video screen showed the panther everything he needed to know. The HoverCat, ThunderClaw, and ThunderStrike swooped in and quickly aided the ship into a landing out in a field not far from the Lair. The personnel aboard were evacuated and rushed off to the Lair as the chill of the evening autumn breeze.

"Everyone accounted for Lynx-O?" Panthro asked over the radio.

"Have a med team standing by. Three of the rescued Cats are not in good shape," the lynx explained. The panther quickly put in a call to Tygra who was prepping the Med Bay.

"ThunderGuard report to the hanger bay immediately! Personnel requiring transport to the Med Bay!" Panthro made the general announcement.

"Sir! Should we contact King Lion-O?" One of the soldiers, an eager puma by the name of Punthar who was helping in the Control Room asked.

"Put out a radio transmission. It won't be safe for him to travel until the morning anyway," the panther told him.

"Yes, sir," the puma nodded. Quickly he went to work and beamed a transmission to Lion-O who had taken the ThunderTank out to meet the Berbils at their new settlement on New Thundera. He had taken Cheetara with him, as she had been the only one off duty that morning. Ben-Gali, Pumyra, and Lynx-O had not yet arrived until after they left and now the only ones guarding Third Earth were the ThunderGuard.

"King Lion-O, this is Punthar at Cat's Lair. The ship with the rescued personnel has arrived. The mission was not a complete success and Lord Panthro requests your presence as soon as you can safely travel," the puma relayed the message and it went straight into the storage bank in the ThunderTank. It wasn't unusual as the Berbils would have offered their friends a real place to sleep instead of inside the ThunderTank for the evening as the outside temperatures began to drop near freezing. Winter was slowly approaching and the need to travel only when the sun's warmth was around was paramount. It conserved fuel and prevented anyone getting caught in any sudden weather changes. What wasn't exactly usual was the fact that Lion-O was in fact sleeping out in the ThunderTank. He'd packed extra warm clothing and decided it was best for him to bunk out in the Tank's back half. As of late the lion had been plagued with nightmares and he didn't want to wake the village in case he woke up roaring at the top of his lungs. There was a knock on the cold metal shell and he cautiously opened the hatch.

"What are you doing out here my King?" Cheetara asked.

"Protecting everyone else's good night sleep," He gave a slight smile.

"The nightmares again?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, the very same," he nodded, ushering her inside and closing the door. He quickly handed her one of his extra blankets and she wrapped herself up in it before taking a seat on the left side of the tank.

"Perhaps when we get back to the Lair, you should have Tygra give you something to help you sleep," she suggested.

"Perhaps," he nodded as he took his spot on the bench on the right side of the tank. He started to nod off when he suddenly felt something bump into him. Peeled his eyes open and found that the cheetah had snuggled up close.

"It's probably best if we huddle for body heat since we left the wonderful warmth of the hut," she pointed out.

"Excellent point," the lion admitted. What he wasn't about to admit was his feelings on what he thought they should be doing instead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter could be a little disturbing to some people. Strong T rating for descriptions of violence.

"Good morning Tygra. What do we have?" Panthro asked upon entering the Med Bay.

"Well the crew survived without major injury; a few broken bones but nothing that a cast and a few weeks of light duty won't cure. The rescued cats are in much worse shape than originally anticipated. I fear that the news from the Captain of the rescue vessel isn't good either," the tiger explained.

"What did he say?" The panther wanted to know.

"I think that everyone should be here before I go into all the details but it seems that an old enemy has reared its ugly head once again," Tygra was cryptic and Panthro didn't like the sound of it.

"Show me the patients then," the panther gave him a look. His friend nodded and they headed over across the hall to the recovery rooms. The first cat they came to was Captain Mitsu; he was a liger, with golden stripes.

"He did the best he could to save his ship but there was not much that could be done. He was beaten after he would not tell his captors where they were headed and what their mission was for. By the time he got here, his body was full of infections from cuts he received from lashings and I was forced to amputate his lower left leg just below the knee as the break in the bone had protruded from the skin and the circulation was cut off to his foot. I put him in a medically induced coma but I fear that he won't make it," Tygra explained as they stood in the doorway. Panthro took in the sight before him. Should the Captain survive, the panther figured he should be up for the highest civil award for his bravery. They moved onto the next room where a female tiger was lying in bed. She was awake but staring at the ceiling. She didn't even seem to notice them as they stood in the doorway.

"What is wrong with her?" Panthro asked, very concerned with what appeared to be a lot of swelling going on in her midsection area.

"This is Captain Mitsu's wife, Leliana. She was carrying twin cubs when they were captured. As part of the torture of the Captain, they beat his wife until she miscarried. The swelling is due to an infection set in after they did not treat her for the miscarriage. She has refused to speak one word since regaining consciousness and refuses to look at anyone. I'm calling Third Earth this morning to see if the ThunderGuard psychiatrist has any ideas on how we can help her but for right now, Pumyra is doing her best to make her comfortable," Tygra explained. Panthro shook his head. He did not have a family or cubs yet but he could imagine that the process involved with dealing with such an atrocity would not be easy. It would probably be more painful than anything that could be done to the body.

"Our third patient didn't suffer as much physically as the Captain and his wife and is the reason we know so much about what happened. He is the youngest member of the squad and had only joined the ship for safe passage to Third Earth to join his family. I fear his mental state will also be in question however as they forced him to watch what they were doing to his fellow shipmates. He tells me the remainder of the crew died of their injuries, some when the ship crashed, others at the hands of their captors. It seems that their captors thought that they knew things that they were actually not privy to. After forcing him to watch the torture of the cats he'd gotten to know on the journey they bashed him in the head giving him a nasty concussion and broke his arm. His name is Ta'o," the tiger explained about the young lynx. Panthro heaved a sigh. The ship had escaped the clutches of the destruction of their home planet to float around in space until it heard the signals being sent from Third Earth only to have a large portion of the cats aboard die horrifically.

"Our last patient goes by the name of Leanna. She is a lioness and was their master of arms on the ship. Ta'o says that their captors used her own Kamas against her after she cut down several of those that were attacking the ship, which explains why she has such deep cuts. It appears they cut her to get information. The wounds were deep enough to make her bleed but not enough to make her limbs useless. They treated her however. She had shown signs of healing and little to no infection. However I can only assume that her mental wounds run much deeper. Pumyra had to perform a full exam and I have a bad feeling they were using her for their own sick fantasies. We'll know more after Pumyra is done cataloging all the injuries," Tygra heaved a sigh.

"Lion-O better get here quick. Whomever did this is going to pay," Panthro gritted his teeth.


	3. Chapter 3

"All right, I want the whole story top to bottom," Lion-O said as he walked into the conference room and sat down in his usual seat. It had taken him and Cheetara three hours to journey back to Cat's Lair and the young Lord's lack of sleep was not helping his mood.

"Here is what we know so far," Panthro cleared his throat and pulled up a map of the planets on the video screen before continuing.

"The ship and her original crew landed on a planet which has no name but is located not far from Third Earth. There the crew found that other Thundarians living on this planet and made it their home base. When they received a signal from Third Earth calling out to any Thundarians in the area to come to Third Earth, the crew boarded their ship and promised to be back to the little colony to pick up everyone. According to the Captain's Log, which he jettisoned to Third Earth upon the attack of their ship, they only took on one passenger whom they allowed because the young cat had no family at the camp and was hoping he had relatives on Third Earth.

"We then received the distress call and everyone went out looking for them. The reason we found them was due to a beacon that the Captain of the ship had in his belt and he activated it. I know we were all wondering why he had a beacon in his belt and I can give you the answer," Panthro clicked the remote and up popped a picture of the clothes removed from the victims upon their entry to New Thundera.

"Great Jaga," Lion-O breathed.

"They were ThunderCats?" Ben-Gali swallowed hard. The picture of the wrecked clothing held the evidence of their savage treatment they had received.

"The Captain was the only commissioned officer in the ThunderCats Air Fleet. The crew underneath him were all ThunderCats in Training," the panther explained.

"Explains the beacon in his belt then but it doesn't explain the attack," Lion-O nodded thoughtfully.

"That is where things get really ugly," Panthro said.

"How ugly?" Lion-O asked.

"The rescue ship sent to their location, which turned out to be one of the moons of Plundarr revealed that we are not through with the Mutants," Tygra told them.

"How can that be?" Cheetara spoke up.

"Captain Cougara of the rescue ship told me that Ta'o told him that the beings they had been rescued from kept asking them where General Slythe was and what happened to the troops he was sent with to chase the ThunderCats. Of course Ta'o could not answer that because he didn't know. When he asked them who they were talking about, they turned their aggression on Captain Mitsu. It is my belief that they thought Ta'o was one of the children of the ThunderCats. They hoped to use him as leverage for something because they could have easily killed him or beaten him to an inch of his life. They did not and I believe that for a similar reason Leanna received treatment after her abuses. My bigger fear is that they will discover what really happened to Slythe and his cronies and free them," Tygra continued on explaining the medical condition of each of his patients both mentally and physically.

"You called one of the patients in your care Leanna?" Lynx-O wanted to know.

"Yes, why?" The orange tiger asked.

"What is it Lynx-O?" Pumyra was concerned about her old friend as he'd grown quiet as if to ponder Tygra's response.

"My King I believe I know why they let Leanna live," the lynx finally spoke up.

"Why old friend?" Lion-O was intrigued by the lynx's behavior. Lynx-O was his only link to his father and if he knew something family related then he'd like to know.

"She is your half-sister," the bomb dropped and everyone looked at the elderly cat with confusion.


	4. Chapter 4

Unfortunately before Lynx-O could explain the medical alarms started ringing through the Lair. Tygra cursed under his breath, knowing that only one of his patients was that critical. He and Pumyra were off like shots with the rest of the group bringing up the rear, ready to help if they could.

"Lord Tygra! Captain Mitsu has crashed. We're trying to bring him back but we're getting little response from shocking him," the nurse, a lady panther by the name of Torna, explained.

"What level are you up to in shocking him?" Tygra wanted to know.

"Five hundred," Torna said.

"Use adrenaline. If he does not respond, I'll call it myself," the tiger ordered. She ran off to the patient's room, retrieved the adrenaline from the cart and stabbed the Captain in the heart with the large needle. Pushing the plunger down, they waited. Tygra silenced the medical alarm and moved into the patient's room where Pumyra was already assessing the damage.

"He's back but for how long, I'm not sure. His blood pressure is all over the place and the quick body scan is showing fluid building up in his lungs," Pumyra said.

"Damn it," Tygra shook his head.

"Suggestions?" the puma wanted to know.

"Lift the head of the bed up as high as we can get it so as not to further harm the patient. Bring the ambient temperature up in the room and I want a full in depth scan. He could have a clot somewhere and we haven't seen it yet," the tiger instructed. While the medical crews got to work, Lion-O ventured to the other rooms to get a look at the survivors. Panthro followed him and Lynx-O was right behind. The rest of the cats from the meeting helped the staff get the Captain situated and then returned to their posts. Despite wanting to know everything there was to know about Lion-O's sudden gift of a family member, there was work to be done.

Leliana hadn't moved from her spot despite the bells and alarms and Lion-O looked at Panthro, unsure of what should be done. The panther pulled him aside and explained that they had the therapist coming over from Third Earth to help and he was bringing some of his students so that all the patients could get counselling. Lion-O nodded and they moved onto the next room which they found empty.

"Tygra! We've got a problem!" Panthro shouted down to the tiger who rushed down to where they were to see what the hubbub was about.

"Great Jaga! Where did he go?" The tiger was dumbfounded that no one noticed the young Ta'o had escaped. It had been busy with the Captain having trouble but there was no way the lynx should be out of bed.

"In here Doctor," the voice did not sound familiar to the group but they noticed how Lynx-O's ears twitched. Despite his lack of eyesight the lynx was off faster than they released he could move and they quickly followed him.

"Thank Jaga," the lynx beamed.

"Uncle!" The surprise in her voice was not lost on the three cats that all arrived at the door at the same time, bumping into one another.

"My niece, I cannot believe it is you," Lynx-O smiled. He so desperately wanted to hug the lioness but she had something that Tygra needed to see.

"Ta'o, there you are. Almost gave me a heart attack," Tygra heaved a sigh of relief, when he saw the young lynx lying next to Leanna in her bed. She had one protective arm around him

"When the alarms went off he came running into the room. Was it the Captain? How is he?" She asked.

"He's been better, I can assure you, but we're doing everything we can to help him," the tiger explained.

"You have to help him," Ta'o sniffed.

"We will son but you have to get back to your bed. I'm surprised you managed to get here without throwing up. That concussion you have is quite the doozy," Tygra said.

"I'll get him back to his room," Panthro offered. Carefully he scooped the lynx out of the bed after Leanna moved her arm out of the way. They accidentally brushed against one another and it was as if an electric shock had been sent through them both. The lioness froze and Panthro immediately apologized.

"It's not your fault, I've just been a little on edge," she admitted. For someone who had suffered terrible things, she oddly seemed calm. However the panther had seen it before in those who had fought in battle. On the outside, they were calm but on the inside, they were like ducks whose feet were churning a mile a minute under the smooth glassy surface of a lake.

"It is understandable," Lion-O nodded.

"My King!" It was just now she realized who it was standing next to Tygra.

"At ease. Please call me Lion-O. There is no need to be so formal among ThunderCats," he smiled slightly.

"Lea, I am so sorry," Lynx-O found the edge of the bed and he pulled her into a hug. For the first time since she had arrived, she openly wept.


	5. Chapter 5

Lion-O sat patiently in his office, waiting for Lynx-O to come in. Everyone had left the two alone when Lea had finally started to admit that everything she was bottling up was more than she could bear. The lion worried that the psychological damage would be too great and to tell her that she was in fact Thundarian Royalty would just put her over the edge. Yet he wanted to tell her. He wanted to know all about her. After all, she was family.

"Lion-O?" A familiar voice shook him from his thoughts.

"Cheetara, hi. Off duty?" He asked as the cheetah entered the room and took a seat across the desk from him.

"Indeed I am. Thought I would stop by and see if you had dinner yet. You know how Snarf worries and I figured you didn't need that on top of everything going on today," she smiled slightly.

"He does worry an awful lot doesn't he?" He chuckled.

"Well technically he has to fulfill his duty even though at this stage you should be having a mate look after you instead," the statement was kind of bold considering the situation, what with them alone in his office, and the fact that he would have been more than happy to show her just how comfortable that couch against the far wall was.

"I guess I need a lot of taking care of huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You are the last of the Kings of Thundera, so a little pampering wouldn't be out of the question," she smirked and he worried that she was reading his mind and all the dirty thoughts that were passing through it.

"Lion-O, you… Oh sorry, I didn't know you had company," Lynx-O said as he stopped in the doorway, sensing that someone else was in the room.

"It is quite all right Lynx-O come in," the young lion said.

"I'll make sure Snarf saves you some dinner," Cheetara winked at him and left the room.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"You know all you have to do is ask, my King, and I am sure that Lady Cheetara would be more than happy to do more than save you some dinner," Lynx-O spoke up. Lion-O's cheeks turned as red as his hair.

"Lynx-O, how can you say such things? She's a lady," the King said.

"She is indeed a lady but sometimes ladies must change their spots. There is a reason they are called 'cougars'," Lynx-O waggled his eyebrows. The lynx had never joked around like this with him and the shock of it all was taking its toll on Lion-O and his embarrassment.

"I imagine Cougars take offense to that," the lion commented.

"Not really since it is true. Anyway, despite the fact that I am blind, I definitely know that tone of voice and what implications it has," the lynx chuckled.

"The business at hand is a little more pressing, don't you think?" Lion-O changed the subject.

"Of course. Lea has definitely been traumatized and I wish I could say that I had a time frame in which things would get better but I fear that it will take years and extensive therapy. She refused to fully explain what happened but Pumyra's physical exam and medical report, give us a pretty good idea," Lynx-O handed over the file he had brought with him.

"Great Jaga," Lion-O whispered as he read the details.

"Pumyra is treating her for any disease that she can think of and I know she would not want me telling you that but it is for her safety until the blood tests come back," there was a pause in the lynx's thoughts and Lion-O could tell he was struggling.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You are the only family she has left. Her mother, Katrina, died some months back of an illness. The cat she knew to be her father, Lionel, never made it off Thundera," the lynx explained.

"Why did she call you Uncle? My father would never have cheated on my mother," the thoughts just tumbled out of Lion-O's mouth.

"The first one is easy. Her mother married a friend that both your father and I shared. I was not Uncle in the blood relative sense but in the 'you're friends with my mother' sense. The second one is a little tougher," Lynx-O paused.

"How much tougher?" The lion wanted to know.

"When your father went off to college, he was told that upon graduation, he would marry a lioness of his father's choosing. It was an ancient practice that was still being followed at the time. Arrangements often were made to strengthen clan ties or the blood line. Back before the destruction of the planet, cats did not marry outside their clan unless it was arranged. I imagine that Captain Mitsu had risen to the rank he did because of his lineage. Two very powerful families who served the King would often intermarry so that the future King's protectors would be the best ThunderCats they could be. It does explain why the mutants treated Ta'o better than the others in the group. Captain Mitsu was not afforded such generosity because of his status. They viewed him as a soldier and as such he was treated however a soldier is treated. Ta'o and your sister could mean large ransom if things had gotten that far," he explained.

"Why then did they kill Mistu's children? Why treat Ta'o better than the Captain?" Lion-O asked.

"I know not of Leliana's lineage but you must understand how our old society worked. Lions are the top of the system. Directly beneath them are lynxes, cheetahs, tigers, and panthers, and then the other species on down the line – in that particular order. A lynx is much more valuable than say a tiger. It is a very flawed system but it was brought on by years of infighting. Back before your grandfather's time, there was a great battle for who would rule Thundera. The lion clans won the right to be Kings and Queens as they defeated all the warring clans and brought the planet together. The new King chose a lynx, a cheetah, a tiger, and a panther to be the first ThunderCats. However only those in the first ThunderCat blood lines were considered nobles. Beneath them was everyone else but they would protect everyone, no matter the status of the cat. The color of the pelt or the way someone spoke or the religion they followed was all cause for someone to take offense. Despite the new rules laid down, the first fifty years of the new society was rocked by hate and violence. It was only with the implementation of martial law by your grandfather that put an end to it. However incited with martial law was the community system. Each clan split off and was moved to different portions of the city. Cats only hung out with their own clans and that stopped the violence. After five years, your grandfather lifted the martial law and created new laws for equal protection under the law. He expanded the rules for who could join the ThunderCats and the ThunderGuard. Upon creating a massive army of mixed clans, it was then that cats understood what it was to live together, to fight together, and to rely on one another no matter the species. The racial inequality and bias soon faded into the background. Now it took a long time to get there but the Mutants live in a society that is much like ours was. However they're still like that. They live on a divided planet and that is why we always defeat them. But it is also why they value different kinds of captives," Lynx-O told him.

"Ah, I see. You don't read about that in the history books," Lion-O shook his head.

"Yes well the books you probably read were after your grandfather took over. I learned all of what I told you from my parents. Anyway, your father fell in love with Katrina while they were in college together. They both knew that there was no way for them to be together permanently but they were young and they thought that if there was a chance at happiness then they had to take it. Your grandfather disapproved despite the very good lineage of Katrina's family. When Katrina came to your father and told him she was with cub, he feared that his father would do as the ancient laws required. All children sired out of wedlock by the King or future King would be exiled along with the mother. Exile was carried out off planet in a penal colony on one of Thundera's moons. Needless to say, he did not want that for Katrina. He and Lionel were good friends and they agreed that he would take care of Katrina and the cub. It wasn't hard as Lionel had pined for Katrina since their childhood. She only had eyes of your father but she understood his wishes and she knew that she had to protect her baby. On occasion I would stop by and check up on the little one. We are thankful she looks more like her mother than your father. It was a secret kept between four friends. I am the last of the friends so I pass the knowledge unto you. Do with it whatever you feel you must but it would be my advice to keep it to yourself until the opportune moment. Lea is not strong enough now to handle the truth and your enemies do not need to know either. However I would recommend changing the command logs so that in the event that something happens to you, she would be next in line to be in charge. She has the right above all others," the lynx finished.

"It has left me a lot to think about my friend," Lion-O heaved a sigh.

"Yes it has but I know that just like your father, you will know what to do when the time comes," Lynx-O bowed his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Pumyra was off doing her rounds after catching a quick catnap. She could not get the lioness's medical exam out of her head and neither could she get the thought that Lion-O was her brother. All the time that she and Ben-Gali had spent with Lynx-O and never once had he mentioned the secrets that he held. She wondered what else the lynx had hidden from them.

"I can hear you thinking in here," Leanna smirked from her bed.

"Is it that obvious?" The puma chuckled.

"It must be something you picked up from my uncle," the lioness teased.

"He is very special to me. He and I along with Ben-Gali spent a long time alone before we were found and rescued by Lion-O and the others," she explained.

"Oh I did not know that. Did he lose his sight while with you?" Leanna asked.

"He did, as we were escaping Thundera. Ben and I did the best we could for him," Pumyra nodded.

"I'm sure you did. I am just glad that he is alive. He is the only family I have left," the lioness sighed. The puma bit her tongue. It was not her place to say anything.

"The ThunderCats will be your new family. We have been though a lot but we face it together. I only wish that we could have helped you and the crew before everything happened," she told her. Leanna only nodded.

"How are you so calm?" Pumyra suddenly blurted. It was highly inappropriate but she worried about her patient's mental state.

"Every time I close my eyes, it all comes rushing back. Little noises make me flinch. When someone touches me, my head starts screaming that it's happening all over again. I can't explain why," Leanna shrugged.

"The therapist from Third Earth is on his way. Perhaps he can help you work out everything. I wish I could do more for you," Pumyra gave a slight smile.

"You…" she did not finish her sentence as a loud roar ripped through the Lair.

"Lion-O…" the puma said. She immediately stood up but she did not move as silence suddenly returned to the Lair.

"Is he all right?" Leanna asked.

"He's been plagued with nightmares as of late. He has asked the Sword for help. He's gone to the Book of Omens but there is still no answer to the problem. Even the sedatives that Tygra has tried have not kept the dreams away. I fear that without the proper sleep, his health will suffer. The only thing that seems to calm him down is well she's not a thing… she's a cheetah," Pumyra seemed embarrassed.

"Ah I see. Is she the Lady Cheetara that once served with King Claudus?" Leanna asked.

"The very same," the puma nodded.

"My mother told me that she has special powers. Could she not use them to help?" the lioness wondered.

"I'm afraid not. Her powers don't work that way and unfortunately they often come at quite the physical cost. All I know is she is able to calm him down after the terror that gripes him. He says that the nightmare doesn't change. He dreams of sleeping in his bed when someone enters his room. For some reason he cannot get out of bed as the being comes closer and closer, the blade in their hands is obviously the Sword of Omens. This being plunges it into him and he watches as he bleeds to death, helpless to do anything. No matter what he does, the dream doesn't change. The only problem is the only cat able to hold the Sword is…" she stopped short.

"Himself," Lea finished. Pumyra only nodded wondering just how much of the dream was a dream and how much it was a premonition.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning brought little relief for the sleep deprived lion. The therapist from Third Earth would be landing shortly and Lion-O wondered if he should talk to him. If he didn't get sleep soon, his body would stop working and he could not continue as Lord of the ThunderCats.

"My King…" the voice was soft but sure from the warm body lying next to him.

"You really need to call me Lion-O," he teased.

"You deserve the respect with the title. More importantly, what are we going to do about your lack of sleep?" Cheetara asked.

"I have no idea. I am affecting everyone around me. Worse still, we could have Mutants coming this way any day now," he heaved a sigh and buried his face in his large hands.

"Let us deal with what we can deal with," the cheetah pointed out. A knock came on the bedroom door and Lion-O left the warmth of the bed and quickly threw on his robe to cover his pajama bottoms and bare muscular chest. Cheetara was still in her uniform. She had taken to sleeping with it on in case she was needed by Lion-O.

"Pumyra, good morning," the lion smiled slightly.

"How are you?" She asked, nervous.

"I've been better," he admitted.

"Yes well after I tell you what thoughts I had earlier, you might be worse," the puma heaved a sigh.

"Lay it on me. It really can't get that much worse," he chuckled despite the situation. She nods and quickly explains the horrible thought about the lion's new found sister.

"Great Jaga," he collapses into a nearby chair.

"My thoughts exactly. Now obviously she has no idea that she could do that but I worry that we have no idea how she'll react to her surroundings in case of Mutant attack. She may lash out and the Sword could react to her being in danger or what she perceives as danger," Pumyra pointed out.

"Very true. Hopefully the therapist can help her," Cheetara said.

"I am hoping so. He should be here…" she never got to finish her sentence as the Lair's alarms sounded.

"That's not good," Lion-O shook his head as they left the room and rushed toward the control room.

"What's going on?" Cheetara asked.

"Unauthorized entry into our air space. I get no response from the ship and my guess is that we've got a serious problem on our hands," Panthro said.

"Arm the Catapults. Get the ThunderGuard into position. Sound for everyone in the surrounding areas to head for shelter," Lion-O barked out orders.

"Done, done, and done," the panther nodded.

"Can you zoom in on the ship?" Tygra asked as he squinted at the vehicle. Panthro did so and it was obvious to them that the ship was not friendly.

"The second this thing comes in range of the weapons, fire a warning shot," Lion-O commanded.

"Weapons primed and ready. Still no response despite multiple attempts in multiple dialects," Punthar explained.

"Something is off," Ben-Gali commented.

"You're right. If the Mutants were coming, they wouldn't use only one ship," Lynx-O nodded.

"So what is this?" Lion-O asked.

"I have no idea. I reached the ship from Third Earth and told them to report what's around them but they say they are alone and about an hour out," Panthro explained.

"Firing warning shot," Punthar interrupted. The radio crackled to life but all they got was static.

"Send up ships and force that ship to land," Lion-O demanded.


	8. Chapter 8

The ThunderCats exited the Lair and rushed over to where the ThunderGuard had forced the ship to land. Their blasters were raised and the silence that suddenly enveloped them once all the vehicle engines had ceased was ominous.

"My name is Lion-O. I am King of New Thundera and Lord of the ThunderCats. Come out of your ship with your hands up and no one will get hurt," the lion spoke up, slicing the silence with his voice. The response was to have the loading bay doors of the ship and to their surprise, Cats emerged.

"Lower your weapons," Lion-O ordered to the ThunderGuard.

"My King, I am sorry for our approach. The Cats aboard mean no one any harm," a lion who seemed to be in charge of the group explained.

"Lower your hands fellow Thunderians. I apologize for our reaction to your ship but I must admit we have never seen one like it and it certainly did not look friendly," Lion-O told them.

"We did that on purpose my King. We did not know what we would find out in space nor when we landed," the lion admitted.

"Then we must congratulate you on a job well done," Panthro spoke up.

"Thank you my Lord," the lion gave a nod.

"Forgive me but who are you and your group of Thunderians?" Tygra inquired. He'd been eyeing them since they landed. It looked as though quite a few of them would need medical attention due to lack of nutrition.

"Forgive me, my Lord. Where are my manners?" The lion swallowed which seemed to be painful for him before continuing.

"I am Locta. We are but a small group of refugees from a planet not far from what is called Third Earth."

"You'll have to forgive me but it looks as though your crew is in need of medical attention," Pumyra interjected.

"I fear most of us do require assistance, Milady. We are all that is left. I fear the worst for our brothers and sisters who left to find us help," Locta explained.

"Let's get everyone inside and you can tell us all about it. I want beds made up and food prepared for those that can eat," Lion-O stopped the conversation and the group was herded inside. Tygra and Pumyra got to work with the medical staff and called for assistance from the hospital.

"Well what is the scoop on their condition?" Lion-O asked Tygra when the tiger had a moment.

"Malnutrition mostly. Some have organ failure which we're trying to stop but I fear that we might lose some of them. I don't understand why they didn't land on Third Earth. They had to fly right by it. Doctor Sepa would have been able to aid some of them much sooner. A few have dysentery which is curable but again they could have been well days ago," the tiger shook his head.

"I'll admit is seems odd that they didn't go there but their ship is odd as well. It is definitely not of Thunderian make. I have Panthro and Ben-Gali checking it out as we speak," the lion nodded.

"Perhaps they found it on the planet they were on and were just lucky enough to get it to fire up. That would explain the fact that they didn't respond to our calls. Unseasoned crew flying a ship they do not know how to work…" Tygra shrugged.

"It is a good point. I imagine the navigation would have been tricky as well. All I know is, I want the full story," Lion-O told him before going to find Locta.


	9. Chapter 9

"How are you feeling?" Lion-O asked the leader of the little band of refugees. Locta had been hooked up to the machines around him and was receiving nutrition intravenously.

"Better surprisingly, my King. How are the rest of the Cats?" The lion wanted to know.

"We're doing all we can. Some are not as severe as others but with any luck Lord Tygra and Lady Pumyra will have everyone feeling better soon. I have some questions for you and I was hoping that you'd be up for answering them," Lion-O went to the point for the visit.

"I will do my best Sire," Locta smiled slightly.

"Excellent. Now where did you get that ship you were flying?" The King asked.

"I must confess that we built it. Both ships crash landed on the planet and were not able to be flown on their own again," Locta paused to lick his lips.

"What kind of ships had you escaped the planet in?" Lion-O inquired.

"I believe that to be the cause of the difficulty. My family and I escaped in a short range vehicle. Luckily we were able to escape that ship and board another that was larger but it was overcrowded and the entire vessel was overtaxed. There were mothers and small children sharing suspension capsules and sometimes two teenagers to a capsule; anything we could do to get everyone inside one. The weight of the ship, however, was its ultimate downfall as when we entered the planet's atmosphere, the thrusters could not accommodate and many were killed upon impact. The ship broke into hundreds of pieces and it could never fly again. Shortly after we landed another ship came into view. With our radio broken, we could not contact them. Their ship landed slightly more successfully but an engine fire broke out. Fortunately the extinguishing systems put out most of it but we lost some Cats to the acrimonious smoke and some to severe burns. From there our little group consisted of about two hundred. We created a little village and tried to salvage what we could from the ships. The planet was a harsh one however and after the first rainy season, we lost about twenty Cats. The flu ran rampant and the medicines we had were in short supply. The food on the planet had to be tested as far as edibility and we didn't find much that the local animals would eat. Luckily there were animals we could kill to eat but unfortunately some of them killed and ate us.

"By the time Captain Mitsu arrived we were down to only a hundred. It was by the grace of Jaga that he found us and with the help of his crew we were able to save some of the sick. He and the crew helped us to build that ship because their ship would not be big enough. It wasn't ready to fly when the signal came from Third Earth saying that there were others and they would accept us with open arms. We were so thrilled. Captain Mitsu promised to send ships back for us but they never came. We worked hard and finally got the ship in working order with the tools that he had left behind," Locta explained.

"So when the time came, you bypassed Third Earth and headed here," Lion-O said.

"We did because we feared that perhaps the message had been sent out by those who were trying to lure us to our deaths. Since we were going to die anyway, we thought we should try to head for New Thundera," the lion told him.

"Well there's a reason that Captain Mitsu didn't make it back and it wasn't because of the peoples on Third Earth. We were able to rescue him and what remained of his crew but I fear those left will be scarred for the rest of their lives," Lion-O heaved a sigh.

"They did not abandon us?" Locta asked.

"They certainly didn't intend to. They were attacked by the enemy. I am sorry for all that you and the others have gone through. Now please rest and we'll talk some more later," the King smiled slightly. Locta nodded, his mind now raced with new questions. Lion-O headed out the door of the little room and practically bumped into Pumyra.

"Hey there, everything ok?" He asked her.

"Sorry, I just can't get over what I've seen in the last few days. That and Leanna has asked to speak with me. I worry that she didn't have a good appointment with Doctor Pungali," the puma admitted.

"Well see to her. Let me know if I can do anything. I'm heading to check on Panthro and Ben-Gali," the lion told her. She nodded and headed down the hall. Lion-O heaved a sigh before heading out of the medical bay.


	10. Chapter 10

"Evening boys. How's things?" Lion-O asked as he walked into hangar bay.

"Evening Lion-O," Ben-Gali poked his head up from the piece of the ship he was working on. He had oil all over him and the lion couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think somebody should have gone with the body suit instead of the overalls," Lion-O smirked.

"I warned him but he said something about having Pumyra help him get it off," Panthro chuckled.

"Oh and how would he manage that considering he hasn't even asked her out on a date?" The lion wanted to know.

"Well you know there's something about a grubby man, I guess," Panthro smirked.

"Hardy har har. Both of you should talk. You, Mr. I can't ask Cheetara out even though she's practically living with me," Ben-Gali pointed his wrench at Lion-O before continuing, "And you, Mr. I have the hots for Lion-O's half-sister." The tiger smirked as Lion-O turned to the panther, his mouth hanging toward the floor.

"Whoa, hey now. There was a spark but I'm not saying that it wasn't just some momentary fleeting moment," Panthro said.

"They mean the same thing. Methinks I hit the nerve. You repeat yourself when backed into a corner," Ben-Gali chuckled. Lion-O was still standing there unsure of what to do especially given the circumstances of Leanna's arrival.

"Why is Lion-O trying to catch flies with his mouth?" Cheetara asked as she interrupted the men. The lion immediately clamped his mouth shut.

"Oh just a little poking fun going on. To what do we owe the pleasure Cheetara?" Ben-Gali smiled.

"Lynx-O couldn't get a hold of our King via the video screen down here. You guys didn't hear it ringing?" She asked, sensing that something was definitely up.

"It's broken, I've been meaning to fix it," Panthro admitted.

"Mr. Fix It didn't fix it?" Cheetara looked at the three of them, one eyebrow cocked.

"Well we've been busy as of late," Lion-O said.

"Uh huh well anyway, Lynx-O said that when you had a moment, he wanted to talk to you," the cheetah let him know.

"Very good. I'll track him down shortly. Thanks," the lion smiled.

"Great. So what do we have here?" The cheetah wondered.

"A miracle of flight. This bucket of bolts is a disaster waiting to happen," Panthro said, glad for the change of subject.

"He's right. Definitely put together by Cats who didn't know what they were doing," Ben-Gali nodded.

"Well that means that Locta was telling the truth," Lion-O was glad to hear it.

"I think that without Captain Mitsu they would have been stuck on that miserable planet," Panthro explained.

"And they most certainly would have died," Cheetara said.

"I only hope that the Captain survives so that I can tell him the good news. Thanks gentlemen. I'm off to speak with Lynx-O. Panthro make sure you get that video screen fixed and see me when you're done," with that the lion turned around and headed out.

"What was that about?" The cheetah wanted to know.


	11. Chapter 11

"Lynx-O, what's on your mind?" Lion-O asked as he approached the lynx who was sitting in the library listening to the audio conversion of one of the ancient texts. In her spare time, Pumyra had taken up reading the books into a recorder so that Lynx-O could listen to them if he ever wanted to. It had been a gift that the lynx cherished greatly and Lion-O knew that the puma had done it out of love. During their time alone, Ben-Gali, Pumyra, and Lynx-O had formed a bond that most families would be jealous of and it was quite obvious that the relationship was one of father to daughter and son.

"Lion-O, thank you for seeing me," the lynx smiled and stopped the recording.

"Anytime, you know that," the lion was puzzled as to why his friend would think it such an inconvenience.

"Yes, well I know you have a lot on your plate," the elder Cat smiled as the King took the seat next to him.

"When is there not a lot on my plate?" Lion-O chuckled.

"True," Lynx-O smirked before continuing,

"The appointment with the doctor didn't go so well today for Lea."

"Pumyra said that she didn't think it did. Although apparently Lea wanted to speak with her not too long ago," the lion said.

"I imagine it has to do with her trauma. The good Doctor Pungali filled me in on the visit despite his usual patient confidence standards. He usually would not say anything but he worries that he may not be able to help Lea. She is severely depressed and has post-traumatic stress like what he would see in his combat patients back on Thundera. She needs medication and therapy, if she'll actually participate," Lynx-O heaved a sigh.

"She gave him a hard time?" Lion-O asked.

"The walls have been building since the first time they hurt her. She puts on a brave face and she acts as though she can handle it but the emotional toll has the Doctor worried. She's internalizing and I fear that the walls won't come down," the lynx admitted.

"She is definitely my father's daughter," the lion nodded.

"That she is. Your father was a great cat but he kept a lot inside," his friend agreed.

"I appreciate you telling me this Lynx-O. I know it can't be easy," Lion-O gave him a slight smile.

"Well you are the only actual family she has left. You deserve to know," Lynx-O said.

"I just wish I could help her," the lion heaved a sigh.

"I know you do. All anyone can do is be there for her," the elder cat nodded.

"Very true," Lion-O agreed as he stood from his seat.

"See what Pumyra has to say. Perhaps she can be more helpful," Lynx-O suggested.

"I will. Have a good night my friend," the lion said.

"And you as well my King," the lynx nodded before turning the recording. It was then that Lion-O realized what his friend was listening to – a text on psychology. Heaving a sigh, he headed off to the med bay.

Half way down the hall, he felt lightheaded. The lack of sleep was definitely getting to him. Pausing in the hallway, he furiously blinked his eyes, trying to regain his balance as his vision blurred. He could feel the contents of his stomach crawling up his throat, trying to wash up against his back teeth. Trying to swallow it back down, he put one foot in front of the other, grabbing onto the railing. The world continued to spin and the back of his throat felt as if he didn't empty it, it would explode. Losing what little was in his stomach, the lion slumped to the floor.


	12. Chapter 12

Panthro was walking down the hall looking for Lion-O. He had completed his tasks and was doing as he had been instructed despite the fact that the conversation was going to be awkward. He shook that thought from his head and kept looking for the lion. He hadn't been in his bed chamber. He wasn't in the kitchen and wasn't in the Control Room. Scooting into the med bay he found that no one had seen him there either.

"Where in Thundera did he get off to?" The panther asked Tygra.

"I have no idea. Maybe you've just missed him," the orange tiger shrugged.

"Maybe…" he never finished the sentence as alarms started ringing throughout the halls of the Lair.

"Fire?" Panthro shook his head. He told everyone inside the med bay to hold tight. He quickly ducked out into the hall and found Cheetara dragging Lion-O down toward him. She had managed to pick up his left shoulder and support his upper torso with her bo-staff.

"Help!" She cried weakly. Cheetara was strong but Lion-O weighed at least twice what she did. Quickly Panthro moved to her and grabbed the King's right shoulder.

"Did you see anything on fire?" He asked.

"I think that was me when I paused for a second against the wall," she admitted. He nodded and they got Lion-O into the med bay. Tygra quickly called for help and was assisted by the staff in getting Lion-O onto a gurney. Panthro then called down to the Control Room. WilyKit and WilyKat, who were on duty, had isolated where the alarm had originated, silenced the alarm, and dispatched the ThunderGuard to the location.

"The ThunderGuard reports all clear. Seems the alarm was tripped in the hallway near you," WilyKit said.

"That's because Cheetara was attempting to carry an unconscious Lion-O down the hall. Sound the all clear and then everyone can go about their business," Panthro ordered.

"Roger. What's wrong with Lion-O?" She asked.

"I'll let you know when I know," the panther promised before hanging up.

"What's all the hullaballoo?" Lea suddenly asked. Panthro whirled around and found that the lioness had managed to get herself out of bed even though her old wounds had been freshly bandaged and she was attached to an IV.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he said.

"I'm going to go insane if I don't start moving around. Besides I have a visitor in my bed again," she told him.

"Oh. Poor kid," Panthro heaved a sigh.

"I can only do so much. Hopefully his family is living here on New Thundera," Lea gave a half smile.

"Hopefully. Now why don't I escort you back to your room and remove the little bedbug?" He gave her a wink.

"Sounds good but you're dodging my original question," the lioness pressed.

"It's Lion-O. He collapsed and I think Cheetara pulled something trying to get him to us. I'm still not sure why she just didn't call for help but maybe she felt there wasn't time," Panthro filled in the blanks for her.

"Will he be all right?" She asked.

"Tygra and Pumyra are the best. I'm sure he'll be fine," he said. Gingerly he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and bent down, easily scooping her up.

"Off we go," Panthro said.

"I could have walked," she told him.

"A gentleman never lets an injured lady walk anywhere," he smiled as he moved down the hall he could feel her actually snuggle into his chest. He thought it was odd but he didn't question her. Maybe she felt safe and he wasn't about to ruin the moment. Easily slipping into the lioness's room, he found Ta'o huddled in the bed.

"We're going to have to take to strapping you down huh?" Panthro asked him.

"Loud noises bother me," the young lynx admitted.

"I know. It's ok. Come on then," the panther said. Ta'o carefully moved out of the bed as his head was beginning to spin. Panthro gently set Lea down only to discover she'd fallen asleep. So as not to wake her, he covered her up with the blankets and indicated to Ta'o to be quiet. He carefully removed the young cat from the room and put him back in his own.

Then moving out of the room, he went to go find out what happened to Lion-O. He didn't get far however when the Lair alarms went off.

"That's not good," he muttered.


	13. Chapter 13

"How can anyone get any sleep around here?" Lea asked as the alarms sounded once again through the building. She had just gotten comfortable and was actually sleeping instead of catnapping and the entire universe was on alert. Ta'o didn't come find her and she guessed that the lynx was trying his best to give her some space. She worried that he'd been more scarred than the rest of them by what he'd seen. Sure, she had lived through it but being an adult and familiar to the horrors the Mutants were capable of, she had been better prepared than the young cat. Still the damage that had been done to both of them would never leave no matter how long it took for the physical wounds to heal and fade.

"Ma'am, please remain calm. The ThunderCats and ThunderGuard are dealing with the intruders," one of the aides stopped by the room.

"Yes, I'll be all sorts of calm," she smirked. The sarcasm was not lost on the cat and he knew that she couldn't help any overly emotional reaction given the circumstances but he was trying to be helpful. With a shrug, he disappeared down the hallway.

Panthro reached the Control Room with Cheetara not far behind. Lynx-O and Ben-Gali barreled through the doors moments after they arrived.

"What's going on? Where is Lion-O?" Ben-Gali asked.

"He's in a bad way in the med bay. Pumyra and Tygra are trying to help him," Panthro filled them in.

"His lack of sleep has caught up to him," Lynx-O said.

"I fear so. Meanwhile we have a ship coming in that is definitely Mutant," Cheetara spoke up.

"Arm the Catapults! Get the ThunderGuard on the anti-aircraft equipment outside!" Panthro ordered. WilyKit and WilyKat set about their tasks getting everyone into position. Then a beeping signifying a call came to the video screen. Kit punched it up and before them stood the Captain of the invading vessel.

"Surrender General Slythe to us and we will not destroy you and your city," the lizard said without introducing himself. He wore an eye-patch over his left eye and had noticeable scars on his arms. This was a lizard who had seen battle.

"Who do you think you are giving orders to us?" Panthro asked, not afraid to challenge the Mutants. They must have followed the trail left by the rescue ship otherwise they had no way of knowing to come to New Thundera and would have gone to Third Earth instead.

"I am Captain Ta-rek, son of General Ta-rouck, if you do not do as I say then I will call for your destruction," the lizard was obviously not a patient reptile as the look on his face gave away that he was not amused.

"We don't have Slythe and even if we did, we would have executed him for crimes against the state," the panther responded, interested to know if the lizard had anything to back up his claims of utter destruction.

"You would do no such thing as you would have a war on your hands, one you could not win. Now hand him over you lying cat or suffer the consequences," Ta-rek ordered.

"We do not have him. You have violated our airspace without permission. You have ten seconds to turn around or you will be scattered across the countryside in a hail of fire," Panthro stood firm.

"Fire on us you filthy mammals. We have no fear of death and welcome martyrdom," Ta-rek smirked, figuring they'd back down. With the screen still up and everyone able to hear him Panthro said,

"Fire all weapons at will." The transmission to the Mutant ship was then severed.


	14. Chapter 14

The ThunderGuard released a hail of anti-aircraft missiles and Catapult cannonballs at the solitary ship. Then as if by magic the other ships in the Mutant armada appeared as their cloaking devices were disengaged.

"Sound the alarm. All civilians are to get inside and stay inside until we give the all clear. Continue to fire on the Mutants. Every available body should report to the flight craft in the hangar. We'll fight them in the skies and from the ground," Panthro ordered. The Kittens quickly got to work and soon the war was on.

"Prisoners are to be taken alive. We need to know what they know and why they want Slythe back so badly. I'm heading to the ThunderTank. Contact me from there," the panther instructed. He turned and headed out, Cheetara right behind him. Lynx-O and Ben-Gali headed for the ThunderStrike.

"We may be outnumbered by at least two to one," the cheetah said once they were alone. The ships numbered in the double digits and could easily hold one hundred Mutants apiece.

"Should be a piece of cake," Panthro chuckled.

"They will notice that the Sword is not part of the battle," she pointed out.

"We have to hope that the battle doesn't continue for that long. The ones that value their lives will turn tail," he said as they climbed into the ThunderTank. She nodded and quickly climbed into the back of the mighty tank to man the large gun.

"Ho!" Panthro shouted as the ThunderTank bust out of the hangar and onto the battlefield. The back popped open and Cheetara opened fire.

Meanwhile, inside the Lair, the building shook as it took direct hits. The Kittens were dispatching those available to assess the damage and put out any fires that erupted.

"This isn't good," WilyKat said as he continued to keeping Panthro and the others abreast of the situation.

"We'll beat these Mutants," his sister said with pride.

"That may be but there won't be a Lair to use. A few more direct hits and we'll be forced to evacuate," he told her. The radio crackled to life and Panthro's voice came in over the air.

"Three ships have turned tail but three remain. We've downed at least five. What was the original count?" He asked.

"There are four ships unaccounted for. The Lair can't take too much more of this. Try to get rid of those guys," Kat explained.

"Do a complete planet scan. Make sure those four ships aren't hiding somewhere," with that the call ended. Kat quickly did a planet scan but found nothing. He tried the radio again but got no response. He then radioed the ThunderStrike.

"Where is the ThunderTank?" He asked.

"Haven't seen him but we're up to our eyeballs out here," Ben-Gali replied.

"I can't get a response. Something has happened," Kat responded.

"Great Jaga," Ben-Gali murmured into the radio before the transmission was cut. The Lair shook violently and the Cats in the Control Room were thrown out of their chairs and onto the floor.

"Status report!" Kit screamed.

"The hit severed the radio antenna and we're running on emergency power," came the reply from Punthar.

"Dammit! Get all the power you can to the med bay and to the Catapults!" Kat commanded.

"Rerouting!" Punthar replied. Suddenly a loud roar rippled through the building.

"Lion-O?" Kit raised an eyebrow. The Control Room doors were shut and running on emergency power meant that they would have to be forced open. Quickly Punthar and a couple of the other Cats working the room headed for the doors. They could not do much more from where they were anyway.

"We have to get the doors open. Emergency air flow will only function for an hour and then the air gets really stale really quickly," Kat instructed. The entire staff got to the doors and began forcing them open when they heard a loud roar again except this time they did not recognize it.

"We've got to hurry!" Kit ordered.


	15. Chapter 15

The door to the Control Room finally fell open and the group scrambled out into the hall. Kit began issuing orders,

"Punthar take Taicen and get to the power room. See what can be done. Hua and Sai, get down to the hangar. See if there are wounded and get a picture of what is going on out there." The orders given the group dispersed with the Kittens heading toward the med bay.

"Who do you think that second roar came from?" Kat asked.

"I don't know but it can't be good. We have to see about getting everyone out of the med bay in case we need to evacuate," Kit said as they raced down the hallway.

"The hospital is too far with missile fire going on overhead," her brother pointed out.

"I know but with the systems down there is no way to tell if the Lair will survive the battle. Better to evacuate to something than be trapped beneath the rubble," she shrugged as the med bay doors opened. They were the only doors that would still work properly without manual override when emergency power was engaged.

"What happened?" Kit skidded to a halt as they entered the medical area. Cats were racing around fighting to lift the now unconscious Leanna.

"The Sword… she used it on everyone in her way," Pumyra was standing there; her uniform was covered in blood around her midsection. The Kittens were afraid it was hers but she shook her head as if she knew what they were thinking.

"What happened to Lion-O?" Kat wanted to know. It was then that the puma slumped to the floor, tears streaming down her face. The vision that had been plaguing Lion-O had come true. Now Tygra was racing against the clock to try to save the young Lord.

"She stabbed him in the chest… " the Kittens looked at one another. If the puma wasn't keeping it together and she wasn't working furiously to save the King then that could only mean one thing.

"He's…" Kit didn't want to believe it. Just then an explosion rocked the Lair, shaking everyone from the situation they had been in.

"We have to get everyone out of here. The building isn't going to hold up much longer!" Kat said. Pumyra bolted upright; there were other patients that she could save.

"Get everyone out the back door. We'll make for the medical transport ships and try to get to the hospital," she told them. Quickly the three went around making sure that every patient was being prepped for transport and then moved.

Pumyra finished with her patients and then quickly moved to the room where Tygra had rushed a bleeding Lion-O. She could see him working furiously to save the lion but she could tell by the look on his face that he was struggling. Grabbing a mask, she walked into the room.

"We have to get everyone out of the building. That last strike has made the Lair unsafe," she told him as she pulled on some gloves.

"I can't move him. His left lung collapsed and he's bleeding terribly," the tiger did not look up from his work. Pumyra moved over and quickly helped him out.

"We'll do this together. We just have to get him stable," she said, trying not to think about what was going to happen if they couldn't.

"Get out of here. The other patients still need you. If the Lair comes down at least you won't be trapped. Ben-Gali would never forgive me," Tygra told her.

"No. Let's get him sewed up," Pumyra refused to budge and they continued to try to work to reflate the lung. Kit and Kat rushed up to the window and pressed the intercom button.

"All other patients have been moved out and are on their way to the hospital. It seems that last explosion was the last Mutant ship willing to fight. The hospital is receiving all of the wounded. You have to get him out," Kit explained. The ThunderGuard had informed them of what had happened when they had come around to the medical loading area to check for any Mutants trying to run away. The Kittens had sent them into the building to make sure everyone was out and told them to get the wounded over to the hospital.

"He isn't stable enough. I move him, he dies," Tygra was blunt.

"We all don't move and we're all dead. The building will not hold," Kat told him. Tygra heaved a sigh. It would be risky but it seemed they had no choice.

"All right I need a transport with a full bed and I need a sterile unit to get him to the hospital. We'll have to continue to work on him," he said. The Kittens were off quick as a shot, trying to see if the sterile unit and transport was available.

"I've got the lung inflated and his pulse is getting stronger," Pumyra said.

"Good. Let's get this hole sewn up quickly. We can do a better job at the hospital," he didn't add the thoughts that were running through his head. The fact of the matter was, Pumyra knew what he was thinking. The ride to the hospital could kill the King. Suddenly the monitors started screeching.

"Something is wrong! His pulse is dropping," the puma alerted him just as Kit and Kat were arriving with the sterile unit.

"He must have a bleeder that I missed," the tiger quickly cut what stiches he had put in and stuck his hand inside the large wound. He felt around until he found what he was looking for. He pinched it and shouted,

"We have to move now! I can't have my hand leave him until we get him on the transport!" Quickly the Kittens and the two medical staffers they had asked for help, entered the room encased Lion-O and Tygra inside the large portable plastic sheeting. They then rushed as quickly as they could without bumping Tygra. Once they exited the Lair and got them onto the transport, Tygra breathed a sigh of relief until he heard that noise from the machines inside the medical bed that all doctor's fear,

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"


	16. Chapter 16

Meanwhile out on the battlefield the ThunderGuard was running around searching for the wounded and any captives they could take. Most of the Mutants they found were either too far gone to help or they used their own weapons on themselves to commit suicide. Typically the ThunderCats would have taken prisoners and in fact they had a history of treating their captives well but Mutant code would not allow the soldiers to be taken. Those that would be taken would be disavowed by their government and spend the rest of their lives never able to return to Plundarr or her moons. Suicide was not uncommon for that reason.

"I need some help over here!" Shouted one of the ThunderGuard, a liger by the name of Li-en. He wasn't far from a group of soldiers and decided that what he found didn't need to go out over the radio.

"What have you got?" his friend, a puma, Cavan wanted to know as she ran up to him. Immediately she recognized it was Lady Cheetara, face down on the ground and sank to her knees. Checking for a pulse, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found one.

"Medic!" She shouted.

"How bad is she?" Li-en asked.

"I don't know, help me roll her over. We have to be careful," Cavan warned. Carefully the two rolled her over and found a laser blast to her left shoulder. It did not explain why she was unconscious but neither ThunderGuard member could see a cause either.

"What have we got?" Tishen wanted to know as he responded to their call for a medic.

"She's got a shoulder wound. I'm not sure how much blood she'd lost. I thought she was riding in the ThunderTank with Lord Panthro," Cavan said.

"If she was then we've got a large problem. Where is the ThunderTank?" Li-en wanted to know.

"Find it and Lord Panthro. I'll radio for assistance. The coms are down with the Lair but everyone has been ordered to stay back until its structural integrity can be verified," Tishen explained.

"We're on it," Li-en nodded and quickly the two started to search for the vehicle.

"Do you think she'll be all right?" Cavan asked.

"I certainly hope so. I hope we can find Lord Panthro as well," her friend nodded. The two walked in silence as they searched for the missing Tank. The smell of death and burning metal hung in the air. The smoke from the burning hulks stung their eyes and burned their lungs but they pressed on.  
"How did Lady Cheetara end up over there when we've walked at least fifty feet and haven't found the ThunderTank?" Li-en wondered.

"Well if she left the Tank to pursue someone the Tank could be anywhere," the puma replied.

"With bombs dropping and ships crashing, she left the Tank?" The liger raised an eyebrow.

"She is a ThunderCat. They go wherever they are needed," she shrugged.

"I suppose but then how come we didn't find anybody around her?" Li-en inquired.

"Because I think I just found the ThunderTank," she responded. He looked from her to what she appeared to be looking at. It was the ThunderTank all right. It was just upside down, facing into a massive crater.

"Was she flung that distance?" The liger looked back and estimated that it was almost one hundred feet from where they started. A medical crew had reached Tishen and they were loading up the cheetah onto a stretcher, no doubt bound for the nearest medical transport.

"I have no idea but we'd better check for Lord Panthro," Cavan turned his attention back to the ThunderTank. Carefully the two started to slide down into the hole and found the reason the tank flipped over. It had been a Mutant ship's attempt to take the ThunderTank with it. Unfortunately for the Mutants, whose bodies now littered the hole, it was a failed attempt. The ship had apparently been sliced in two with the other part of the ship outside the crater.

"Damn," Li-en shook his head and covered his mouth and nose with his shirt. Then before they continued, he made sure his partner did the same. The smell of death and burning fuel was very powerful. He grabbed Cavan's hand and she looked at him, surprised by the move.

"Listen we don't know what we're going to find…" he started.

"I've seen some nasty things today so whatever we find, I'll manage. I couldn't do my job otherwise," she said.

"I know. I just…" the liger trailed off. She smiled slightly. On the outside the liger was a tough cookie but when it came to her, he wasn't so tough, especially when they were just together by themselves.

"I guess we should check for Mutant survivors so we don't get shot in the back," she said, breaking the moment.

"Good call," he nodded. Quickly surveying the site, they knew that no one had survived the crash. Breathing a sigh of relief, they turned their attention to the Tank.

"He is going to be pissed when he sees what they did to his baby," Li-en whistled.

"Oh of that I have no doubt," Cavan chuckled as they moved to either sides of the Tank. Inside they found Panthro still strapped into his seat. He was bleeding from a head wound.

"Can you squeeze in there and see if he has a pulse?" Li-en wanted to know.

"Hang on," Cavan nodded and carefully removed her extra gear before squeezing her way in. Delicately, she placed her fingers on his throat.

"He's still with us but he seems to be pinned. Nasty wound on his forehead. I'll stay with him. Go get help," she called out. Li-en didn't like leaving her alone but he knew that they had to get Panthro out of there. Quickly he scrambled to the top of the pit and radioed for assistance. Then he scooted back down inside the crater.

"They're coming but I'm not sure how we're going to get him out," he told her.

"I don't know but the fumes are getting to my head," she admitted.

"Get out of there," Li-en told her.

"I can't leave him," she protested.

"Get out and we'll get some oxygen in there for him when the medic's arrive," it was an order. She slowly slid out backwards but managed to catch her leg on a piece of sharp twisted metal that she had easily avoided on the way in. She held in the reaction to scream as she could feel her skin breaking. Li-en saw what was happening and quickly reached in as far as he could, helping her the rest of the way out. Then he pulled off his shirt and bound the gash.

"Ouch," she grimaced.

"Not too tight, I hope," he said.

"I'll be fine," she tried to smile but he could see she was lying. Shouts from above let them know reinforcements were on the way and quickly they were met by more ThunderGuard.

"Cavan, you ok?" Tishen asked.

"I'll be fine but we need to get Lord Panthro out of there," she changed the subject.

"Think we can flip it?" Li-en asked.

"It would be the best way to do it because with the fuel laying around, I don't think cutting tools would be a good idea," Tishen nodded.

"Ok guys and ladies, grab onto something and we'll try to flip it," Li-en called to the group of twenty soldiers. Quickly they got into position and heaved.


	17. Chapter 17

The ThunderTank moved but it wasn't enough to flip it over. The soldiers heaved again but they were just not strong enough to flip it.

"We need to get some fresh air in there so he can breathe. Can we prop it up?" Cavan asked.

"Sounds like a plan. Everyone get some of the wreckage from the Mutant ship and we'll prop it up," Tishen said. Quickly they dispersed and collected large steel beams that would be capable of holding sizeable weight. With four large beams they lifted and then shoved the metal underneath at an angle.

"If we could get some more lift then we could easily get him out but we need all of us lifting in order to get what we have," Li-en said.

"This will have to do. Hold the beams steady. Cavan, you're with me," Tishen ordered. Quickly the others held the beams in place while the two Cats crawled their way through the now larger opening. The air was definitely better than it was before but not by much. Panthro moaned as they reached him.

"Lord Panthro, please don't move. We're here to help," Tishen told him.

"Cheetara…" the panther's mind was not registering his current situation.

"We have her. She's in good hands," Tishen said. Cavan squeezed her arm into the small space between Panthro and the seat and pressed the button on the seatbelt. It released and carefully she pulled it off of him.

"Are you in a lot of pain? Where does it hurt?" Tishen wanted to know.

"My legs," the panther responded. His eyes were open more but he still didn't seem to know what was going on.

"Definite concussion," the medic shook his head as he sat down and grabbed the panther's shoulders. Cavan knelt and grabbed his waist and together they tried to pull him straight out of his seat. He was practically dead weight as he could not help them and that weight was almost too much for the two Cats.

"Check his legs before we go any further. I don't want to cause more damage," Tishen said. Cavan wiggled her way back down toward his massive tree trunk legs.

"He's bleeding but I don't think he's stuck. Pull on his shoulders and I'll make sure that he is clear of the debris," she told him from the position on her stomach. The medic nodded and gave a pull. Carefully Cavan made sure his legs were free as grabbed him around the thighs and pulled too, slowly moving into a kneeling position.

"All right, we're clear of the seat. Head for the exit," she said. As swiftly as he could, Tishen moved his rear and then to the left, pulling the weight on top of himself, and Cavan held on as tightly as she could to his legs as she knelt and pulled. When they were closer to the entrance, Li-en and a coupe others reached in and helped pull the group out.

"We need a stretcher and a transport on the double," Tishen said finally getting a look at the panther's legs. He had electrical burns from the circuitry that was exposed in the crash, large bruising from being bashed into console, and cuts and scrapes from metal fragments that came free in the crash.

"If he hadn't been buckled in…" the medic murmured.

"I know," Cavan nodded. Four of the ThunderGuard arrived with a stretcher and carefully moved the panther onto it. Then they headed for the top of the pit. Everyone else moved to help them and make sure everyone got out of the hole. Cavan stumbled on her way up and could not seem to find the strength to get back up. Li-en saw her fall and he quickly was at her side.

"Great Jaga's ghost," he murmured. The shirt that had been covering the slice in her leg was soaked in blood.

"I need some help!" He shouted as he clamped his hands down on the shirt. They had been so focused on helping Panthro out that the cut had been ignored but now it looked as though it was worse than they originally thought.

"Quickly! She needs to be on that transport!" Tishen shouted as Li-en lifted the puma up in his arms and held her tight as he tried to exit the pit. They got her on board and the ship rushed off with their precious cargo.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Tygra exited the surgery suite and collapsed against the wall and slumped down onto the floor. He heaved a sigh and the Kittens looked at him.

"How did it go?" WilyKat asked.

"He's alive and stable," Tygra smiled slightly as Pumyra exited the room as well, just as exhausted.

"Lord Tygra! Lady Pumyra!" A lynx nurse by the name of Selia came running up.

"What is it?" Tygra asked.

"Lord Lynx-O and Lord Ben-Gali have just been brought in and Lord Panthro and Lady Cheetara are on their way," Selia said.

"How bad?" Pumyra wanted to know.

"Lord Ben-Gali is in need of immediate surgery. The others are stable but need to be fully assessed," she told them. Pumyra turned as white as a sheet before unsteadily rising to her feet.

"Whoa," Tygra was up like a rocket despite his aching, worn out body, catching her before she fell.


	18. Chapter 18

Ben-Gali was rushed into surgery and despite having done exhausting work to save Lion-O, Tygra cleaned up and headed into the surgery suite. He promised that he'd let the surgeons do their work but he wanted to know just how bad it was. Pumyra had to be sedated as she fought to be in there too but Tygra didn't want her within a ten foot radius of the room. It wasn't that she wasn't competent, far from it, but given the fact that she almost fainted at the news of both of the Cats she was closest to getting injured, the tiger wanted to make sure she could not interfere with the doctors and their work.

The bigger concern was that she had practically fainted. Pumyra was one of the strongest Cats he knew and the fact that he had emotionally and physically almost fallen apart on him twice in the last few hours made him nervous. She could have a medical condition that she was trying to hide or something else was going on. Tygra had to admit that after treating Lea's extensive injuries, the puma had been on edge. At first he figured that was because what the lioness had been through would shake anyone to the core but now he worried that he'd missed clues to something he should have noticed.

"What are we looking at?" Tygra asked the doctors as they were examining the white tiger.

"He's bleeding from a large gash in his side and he's got shrapnel imbedded in various parts of his body. Internal scans are coming up on the screen now," Doctor Lee Lefa, a puma, explained.

"Jaga's ghost," Tygra breathed as the image came up on the screen. Inside the large gash was a piece of metal that had broken off of something.

"The crash of his pod from the ThunderStrike was more damaging than the medics originally thought. All right, I need another unit of blood and I need a scalpel," Lefa ordered. Tygra nodded and left the doctors to their work.

Out in the hall, he walked down to the nurses' station where he was given directions to see Lynx-O, Panthro, and Cheetara. Quickly he moved to the lynx's room and found the doctor's prepping him for a procedure.

"Scans show he broke his hip and fractured his left arm. Otherwise just cuts and scrapes. I'll be fixing his hip in the surgery suite next to Lord Ben-Gali's," Doctor Ada Nefir, a tigress, smiled slightly.

"Will he be all right?" The tiger asked, worried given the lynx's age.

"Plenty of people his age survive broken bones. The hip surgery has been perfected so that the implant won't be an issue. Not all together routine but also not out of the realm of my work," she explained.

"Thank you," Tygra smiled slightly and then headed off to see the panther. He found him in a room with the lights off and the sounds of machines beeping. His legs were in casts and elevated off the bed.

"How is he?" The tiger asked the nurse.

"Concussion, cuts, scrapes, electrical burns, and two broken legs but he'll be right as rain once the casts come off and we finish pumping all that fresh oxygen into his lungs," she smiled.

"Sounds awful," Tygra shook his head considering how the panther looked.

"Could be worse," the nurse noted.

"Agreed," he smiled and scooted down to Cheetara's room. The lights were off in her room too and the nurse that was nearby gestured for him to stay out in the hall. She closed the door behind her and gave the tiger a smile.

"Why the need for quiet?" Tygra asked.

"She has a concussion, broken collarbone that she received from the laser blast and the subsequent fall, along with bruised ribs, and varying degrees of cuts and scrapes. We had to sedate her because she kept trying to get out of bed. She said she was worried about Lord Panthro but no matter how many times we told her he was in good hands, she wouldn't lie down. We're running tests to check her hearing," the nurse explained.

"Oh dear," Tygra said. He worried that if her hearing was in question that she would face the ThunderCat committee. Typically someone of her stature could avoid it but losing her hearing would force a meeting. The meeting could result in forced retirement. Unfortunately, the same could be recommended for Lynx-O depending on how the surgery went.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Leanna on the other hand…" the nurse trailed off.

"I'd like directions to her room so that I can see her," Tygra said.


	19. Chapter 19

Tygra entered the room and found Lea strapped to the bed. It was not the way he would have treated her given what she had been through but they weren't at the Lair anymore and there were other patients to worry about. She could not be put in the Psych Ward due to her physical injuries but the guard at her door was more than capable of subduing her should she get loose.

"How are you?" He asked. It seemed like a stupid question but he simply did not know what else to say.

"Confused, hurt, angry, and a multitude of other emotions which are bubbling beneath the surface but they gave me something that makes me calm," she said.

"I wish it did not have to be this way but you attacked Lion-O and three male nurses. Until you are no longer a danger to yourself or to others, you have to be given this medication and be kept a watchful eye on," the tiger heaved a sigh and took a seat next to the bed.

"The loud explosions, the shouting, it all brought me back to the moment our ship…" she trailed off.

"No one is blaming you believe me. Your body reacted in response to triggers brought on by your experiences. To be honest, if you hadn't reacted at all, I would not be in here talking to you," Tygra admitted.

"I just want this all to be over," she said.

"I know. The only things that will help this are time and therapy. The fighting is over and the peace is restored. With any luck it'll stay that way," he smiled slightly.

"Those Mutants were the ones that attacked our ship, weren't they?" Lea asked.

"I would assume so. They demanded to know where Slythe was and when we gave them an answer they did not like they tried to destroy us. I worry that the ships that fled will return to Plundarr and her moons, looking for help. More than likely they will get it," Tygra sighed.

"Will everyone be ready?" Lea wanted to know.

"We have to hope so but most are down for the count for at least the next two months," he didn't bother to sugarcoat it.

"What of my comrades?" The lioness asked.

"Transported safely and on the mend. They will more than likely stay here until they are better. The structural integrity of Cat's Lair is being assessed and to move them again would not be beneficial to their health. They are in good hands," he explained.

"Good. Tell them all that I wished them well," the last statement was odd and Tygra gave her a look only to discover that she had managed to get something sharp from somewhere. With one quick stroke she sliced through the strap holding her down and it easily dug into her flesh, blood began to pour from the wound and Tygra shouted for help as he clamped down on her wrist.

He was more than a little surprised to see Pumyra rush into the room. The sedative she'd been given had obviously not been strong enough. She grabbed a towel and shoved the tiger out of the way before clamping down on the wound and lifting it above the lionesses head.

"Let me die! If you had any decency, you'd let me die!" Lea roared as she struggled to get free. Tygra did the only thing he could think of and restrained her by basically lying on top of her.

"Not today, not ever," Pumyra told her as the nurses who had heard the shouting came running. Quickly the lioness was sedated and the wound was examined and bandaged. Tygra then turned to Pumyra and said,

"You and I need to talk,  _now_."


	20. Chapter 20

The tiger dragged the puma into an empty patient room and shut the door. The look on his face indicated that he wanted answers and he wasn't going to leave until he got them.

"What is going on with you? How is it that the sedative didn't work?" Tygra wanted to know.

"Sedatives never really worked too well on me. They would knock me out but not for very long. When I was a child and they needed to remove my tonsils, they had to give me an adult anesthetic so I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the procedure," the puma shrugged.

"Ok but your behavior has been erratic to say the least. What is going on?" he pushed, knowing that it was the only way to get her to talk. She heaved a sigh. It was tell the truth now or be out of commission for the foreseeable future.

"I…" she hesitated.

"Whatever you say doesn't have to leave this room but if I cannot trust you to keep it together then I will have no choice but to relieve you of duty," Tygra told her. Another sigh but this time it was deeper as if it had come from her toes. The news, he figured, was not good.

"When I was on Thundera, I worked with victims of abuse and often times the aftermath of it was too much to handle. I fell into the bottle. It took the destruction of the planet and being marooned to completely rid me of my dependency on it but I could never forget what I had seen or the people I'd helped.

"We had a case like Lea's come in once. She was sixteen and she had been walking home from her job at a store late one night. Three Cats jumped her, beat her, and did all sorts of unimaginable things to her. I tried to help her as best as I could but she lost the will to live. No matter what we tried to do for her, she would self-mutilate or try to harm herself in other fashions, to the point where she had to be medicated twenty four hours a day and strapped to a bed. It wasn't a life. She was never the girl she had once been. All she was, was a shell of a Cat and everything we tried failed. Eventually, her parents couldn't take it anymore and they checked her out of the hospital. She went home and a week later she poisoned herself and died. I thought I had shoved the thoughts down so that I wouldn't face the pain she felt everyday but Lea brought it all back. I can't let her become that little girl. I need to save her," Pumyra admitted. Tygra's shoulders dropped and he left the door. Pulling her into a hug, he said,

"Then do what you can to save her. I'll not stand in your way."

"Thank you. I am sorry I did not say anything sooner but I just couldn't bear to deal with it. It seems with this last suicide attempt, I will have no choice. I will do the best that I can," the puma said as they pulled apart.

"Good. Since you cannot do anything for her until she wakes up and until Doctor Pungali can reexamine her, why don't you see how Ben and Lynx-O are doing?" Tygra suggested.

"That sounds like a plan," she nodded.

"Does Ben-Gali or Lynx-O know about your experience?" He suddenly asked as she headed for the door. Turning around, she frowned.

"No, they don't," she said.

"Well you are closest to them. Maybe they should know. Sharing helps the burden," Tygra smiled slightly.

"Perhaps, when this is all over, I will tell them," she shrugged. He could feel some hesitance, like it was bad enough that she'd told him. Then just as quickly as he'd dragged her in there, she quickly turned and left him to his thoughts. The tiger took a few moments to organize himself before heading out into the hallway. Until Lion-O was feeling better, he was in charge and one of his first decisions was to make a long distance phone call to Mandora. The Mutants would be back and they would need some help.


	21. Chapter 21

"Tygra, this is a surprise," Mandora smiled slightly as she sat down in front of the video monitor.

"I wish I could say it was a good one," the tiger replied as he tried to get comfortable in the hospital conference room. It was one of the few private places in the hospital and it would allow him to not be disturbed.

"Since Lion-O is usually the one that calls, then I would have to agree. What's going on? Where are you?" She asked. Tygra quickly explained the situation in as much detail as he could. He didn't want knowledge of Lion-O being out for the count to be over the airwaves. The Lord of the ThunderCats was still in recovery and had yet to wake up.

"Those Mutants drive me crazy," Mandora fumed as he finished explaining.

"Yes well what can we do but try to teach them a lesson when they arrive?" Tygra wanted to know.

"I will send a platoon of Evil Chasers your way and I will put out an alert to all neighboring planets. Anyone caught helping the Mutants will be considered an enemy of not only Thundera but Third Earth and Evil Chasers and will be punished for their role in this unprovoked attack. When word spreads to Plundarr that there is the possibility of war then there's a chance they will throw those who started it under the space bus as it were," Mandora told him.

"You don't think they'll want to start a war do you?" Tygra asked.

"It is a possibility but my guess is that they have enough trouble on their own planets to deal with. At any rate, should anyone get any ideas, you'll be long prepared for it. The platoon will be to you within three hours," she said.

"You guys mobilize quickly," the tiger was surprised.

"You have to be prepared in case of danger. We're never at ease, always at the ready. Turbo boosted engines are wonderful things," she smirked and with that the call was over. Tygra stood and exited the room heading back down the hallways to see how his patients were doing.

"I hear talk that I owe someone a debt of gratitude," Panthro smiled as the nurse wheeled him into a patient room.

"Lord Panthro!" Li-en bolted up out of his chair and quickly saluted. Cavan couldn't get out of bed but she quickly saluted as well.

"At ease kids," he smiled.

"Thank you sir," Li-en sat back down.

"So you two found me and helped get me out of my baby. How is she by the way?" Panthro asked as the nurse wheeled him closer and he shook hands with both Cats.

"Well she's seen a better day, sir," Cavan said honestly.

"I was afraid of that," the panther sighed.

"You can fix her sir," Li-en was trying to be positive.

"Maybe but I think I'm going to need some help," Panthro winked.

"Us? Sir?" Cavan asked.

"It would be the least I could do. Give you some training on fixing her and get you off patrol duty. Although I hear that Tishen has already put you two up for commendations. Seems that "beyond and above the call" are your middle names," the panther smiled.

"Commendations? We were just doing our jobs," Li-en pointed out.

"Oh I think you did more than that. On top of everything I just told you, once this matter with the Mutants is settled you both begin ThunderCat training," Panthro beamed.

"ThunderCats? Us?" Cavan was sure the medicine she had been given was making her hallucinate.

"Yes, you. Now get some rest young lady whilst I speak to your partner in crime here," the panther winked and the nurse took him back out into the hall and a very nervous Li-en followed.

"You wanted to speak to me sir?" He was sure he was going to get in trouble.

"The nurses say that you haven't left her side since she got here. How bad is it?" Panthro wanted to know.

"She cut herself on some metal in the ThunderTank. The doctor said that they're giving her antibiotics along with tetanus shots but the wound should heal just fine. No major damage to any arteries or anything. Might leave a nasty scar though," he said.

"Not that son. How bad are your feelings for her because I can tell by the way she looks at you, "partners" really isn't the right word," the panther smirked.

"Sir it's against regs for me to…"

"Yes but that doesn't stop Lion-O from daydreaming about Cheetara does it?" Panthro chuckled.

"World's worst kept secret sir," Li-en smirked.

"Agreed. Now your feelings son?" The panther wanted to know.

"More than I realized," the soldier nodded.

"Marry her. That's an order," Panthro winked before he signaled for the nurse to wheel him to his next stop.

"Yes, sir," Li-en beamed.


	22. Chapter 22

"She really isn't ready for visitors," Doctor Pungali admitted when the nurse wheeled Panthro up outside the door.

"What happened to her Doc?" The panther was concerned considering he thought things were getting better.

"She tried to kill herself. It was a good thing that Lord Tygra and Lady Pumyra were there to help," the doctor explained.

"Oh," his face fell. There was anger boiling inside along with a good helping of pity, though the latter was shrinking quickly.

"I'm afraid the Mutants did more than just physically abuse her. Her mind is in a bad place right now but with therapy and medication I can help her," Pungali told him.

"Well do all you can Doctor. I know we all appreciate it. Even she does despite not showing it," Panthro said.

"I know and I'll do my best. If you are bound and determined to see her, please be gentle. The last thing she needs is someone yelling at her," Pungali gave a tight smile and then turned and left.

"Wheel me in, please Nurse," the panther said.

"Before I do that, promise me something?" She asked. He was surprised by her request but nodded.

"Promise me that you'll show her not all men are pigs. She's taking it out on poor Leo and all he wants to do is check her vitals and give her, her medication," the nurse said.

"I will do my best," he smiled slightly and the nurse wheeled him into the room.

"You have a visitor Lea. I'm going to head down the hall. Press your call button if you need anything," the nurse smiled and was gone.

"What do you want?" The question was quiet despite its rude implications and she didn't move her gaze from the ceiling. Her pleasant greetings from before had vanished and had been replaced with something that Panthro couldn't quite figure out.

"Well I was going to rant and rave and tell you how stupid you're being but I figured I could save that for when it's a fair fight," Panthro smirked. Neither one could actually stand on their own two feet nor was lying still something either of them took lightly.

"Stupid?" She asked, now taking her eyes to meet his.

"You heard me," the panther teased.

"You think I'm stupid?" She asked again, this time there was more venom in her tone.

"Incredibly! You have Cats here who were your friends, your family, everything you ever needed and you would leave them as if everything that they had been through had been nothing. How do you think that makes them feel?" Panthro's tone was growing an edge on it.

"Why would anyone give two shits about me?" The lioness growled.

"Your Uncle certainly does. Your King certainly does. I certainly do!" That last part made both of their eyes grow about three sizes.

"You do?" Lea wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

"Yes I do," he admitted, slowing the lump in his throat. She opened her mouth to say something but never got the chance to say anything as the sounds of ships approaching stopped her.

"Another attack?" She asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"Not exactly," he smirked slightly and listened a little harder only to have his smirk grow even wider.

"What is it?" Lea wanted to know.

"Evil Chasers," Panthro smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

"Mandora! I didn't think you were coming with the reinforcements," Tygra smiled as the Evil Chaser walked up to him after exiting her ship. The ships had landed surrounding Cat's Lair so they could assess the damage done previously.

"I had to come. Our radar picked up ships inbound from Plundarr. They're only about two hours behind us," Mandora explained.

"Great Jaga. How well armed do they appear?" The tiger wanted to know.

"There are at least two gunships with three battle cruisers and close to fifteen little ships for easy maneuverability against the Catapults. The good news is that the battle cruisers can't enter your atmosphere. The bad news is that that gives them a good vantage point for staging purposes," she said.

"The only bad news?" Tygra gave her a look of incredulity.

"Well the worst of the bad news I guess," she shrugged.

"I had hoped to get more repairs done on the Lair. Luckily, she is structurally sound but just barely. I can't in good conscience allow anyone inside until the exterior shoring is completed," he explained.

"Then we make our stand with what we've got. How many aircraft do you have?" Mandora wanted to know.

"We lost the ThunderStrike but otherwise we're in good shape with the rest along with some smaller more maneuverable aircraft. Our total is about twelve smaller ships and a handful of larger ones. The ThunderTank is out of commission along with half of the ThunderCats, I'm afraid," Tygra admitted.

"Take me to Lion-O. If they want to negotiate, I need to know his thoughts," the Evil Chaser said.

"He's awake but how lucid he'll be is debatable," Tygra told her as they started toward the transport that he had taken to get to the Lair.

"No matter. If we are trying to hide the fact that he is out of commission I need to speak to him and act on his behalf. The Mutants need to understand that if they continue in the path they are taking that they won't just be messing with the ThunderCats but the entirety of their allies," Mandora gave him a slight smile.

"I appreciate it, I do. I am acting Lord of the ThunderCats until Lion-O is able to regain his strength so anything you need from me, let me know," the tiger smiled slightly as they sat down inside.

"Good. Now how is Lion-O? What of the others?" The Evil Chaser wanted to know.

"Lion-O received a puncture wound to the chest and was already suffering from exhaustion before he was injured. He survived the surgery but he'll be touch and go for a while yet. My best estimate for release from the hospital would be three to four weeks but it could be as long as six to eight weeks depending upon how he responds to medication and treatment. It will be at least three months before we could test him for active duty. Cheetara has a concussion, a broken collarbone, bruised ribs, and varying degrees of cuts and scrapes. There was concern about her hearing but luckily it was just the remnants of the concussion from her being thrown from the ThunderTank. Panthro broke both of his legs, managed to get a concussion, and is covered in cuts, scrapes, and electrical burns. Ben-Gali suffered severe trauma during the crash of the ThunderStrike and had to have abdominal surgery. He's in recovery but out probably as long as Lion-O. Lynx-O is the last big casualty and he has a broken left arm and hip," Tygra quickly recapped.

"Good grief. I guess you guys will have to take lessons in ducking and staying out of the way of enemy fire," Mandora shook her head.

"Needless to say we didn't think the Mutants would go that far or be that stupid," Tygra admitted.

"I agree with you there. I have no idea what makes them think war will settle their quest to find Slythe. Oh well, we'll just have to bomb them back to the Stone Age," Mandora wasn't all the broken up about it. Tygra couldn't help but chuckle to himself as they exited the transport and headed up to see Lion-O.

When they arrived, they found Cheetara in a wheelchair, sitting next to his bed. She had a look on her face that could only be described as severe worry.

"What's going on?" Tygra asked.

"He can't stay awake. I know he needs to catch up on his rest but he is beginning to worry me," the cheetah admitted.

"I know what will cure that," Mandora smirked and promptly stick her fingers into her mouth and whistled. Lion-O's eyes snapped open and the two other ThunderCats practically jumped out of their skin. Mandora ignored them and got right to business.

"I need you to pay attention soldier! We've got Mutants breathing down our necks and you decide to take a nap!"

"Mandora, it's good to see you too," he said weakly.

"I'm serious about those Mutants. I need your authorization to do whatever is necessary to save this planet. Do you understand?" She asked.

"I do. You have my authorization. Tygra is to be your right hand Cat. Now could someone fetch the doctor?" Lion-O asked. His skin color was gray and he did not look good.

"I'll get him," Tygra said before quickly exiting the room. When he came back, Cheetara was wheeled out into the hallway by Mandora.

"I'm heading back to the troops. See you at the transport," the Evil Chaser said. Tygra nodded and then turned to Cheetara.

"You need to tell him how you feel before anything else happens. I don't like his color and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they have to open him up again. Tell him because it may be the only thing that saves him," the tiger told her.


	24. Chapter 24

Tygra had been right. The doctor's whisked Lion-O away to perform more tests before anyone could do or say anything. Cheetara waited in his room for him, insisting to the nurses that she must be there when he got back.

"You know people may start to talk about how I have a stalker," the lion's voice was quiet as the nurses wheeled him back into his room thirty minutes later.

"Well, let them talk. They have no idea what they're missing," she teased. His color had improved slightly but it still was not great.

"The doctors say I'm fit as a fiddle. I'll be dancing the Thunderian waltz in no time," he said.

"Oh and just who would you be waltzing with? Panthro has two broken legs," she smirked. He chuckled but immediately regretted it with a grimace.

"I hear that they have this crazy invention called women. I could possibly scrounge up one," the lion smiled slightly. The smile did not reach his eyes and the usual light behind them seemed dim.

"I don't think someone like you needs to scrounge. I know someone who would love to be your dance partner," the cheetah smiled.

"You do? Where is this wonderful woman?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Right here. She's always been right here," she took his large hand in hers.

"I thought she looked familiar but I just couldn't put a name to the face," he admitted.

"That's because your face isn't always looking at my face," she laughed.

"Mostly because I was afraid you'd see right through me," he smirked.

"Worst kept secret you two. Now I have to wheel the patient out into the surgery suite," the nurse interrupted.

"Surgery?" Cheetara gave her a look.

"Oh nothing major, we're just going to scope things out and see if we can see what is affecting his circulation. A little better pumping of his heart will make his breathing easier and his color better. He's going to be on blood thinners once we see what we can see," she explained.

"Oh all right," she was obviously still worried.

"Hey now. I'll be right back and then we can go kick some Mutant butt," he smiled.

"Just like old times," she smirked.

"Exactly," he said. The nurse then started pushing the bed toward the door. There was only seconds before he would disappear and she did the only thing she could think of to make sure she followed Tygra's advice.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you," he said as he disappeared from sight. A second nurse came into the room and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair. They left the room and headed down to her own room.

Meanwhile, Tygra paced while Mandora flexed her well trained leadership muscles. The troops either respected her or feared her or maybe it was a little bit of both.

"Ready then?" The tiger asked after she finished issuing orders to the troops. The Mutants were only thirty minutes out and the last minute running about was making him nervous.

"Evil Chasers are always ready," she smirked.

"Ah I see," he nodded.

"With any luck, the Mutants will give up before anyone has to fire a shot," Mandora said.

"You think we'll get that lucky?" He asked.

"Well one can dream. Otherwise we fall back on our training and destroy the bastards," she told him.


	25. Chapter 25

The Mutants arrived just outside New Thundera's atmosphere, right when Mandora expected them to be there. The alerts on the radio had not stopped them from arriving to their foes and Mandora had figured that they would be more than willing to kill some Thunderians as they went. The only thing the Evil Chaser hadn't planned on was the help that New Thundera would be getting from her own citizens.

"Please return to the safety of the shelters," Tygra begged the civilians that showed up after finding that the Evil Chasers had landed a platoon on their planet.

"We may not be qualified to join the ThunderGuard but we're qualified to kick Mutant ass!" Shouted an old Cat who could barely stand upright, from the middle of the crowd.

"Yeah!" A young Cat, who was still in high school, agreed, leading the others into a chorus of their own agreement.

"If they want in, let them," Mandora smiled. Tygra gave her a look before she continued,

"You're never under qualified when it comes to protecting your people for King and Country."

"All right, how many of you have any sort of training?" Tygra asked. Soon he was sending citizens here, there, and everywhere to aid in the planet's defense.

"Why do you suppose they haven't attacked yet?" Tishen asked Mandora as he arrived to report that all available troops were at the ready.

"I don't know. They aren't ones for patience. Of course, perhaps our show of force has them reconsidering," she looked toward the sky and wondered if the Mutants were really thinking about backing down. Immediately dismissing the thought, she went back inside the Lair with Tygra hot on her heals.

"Making a phone call?" He wagered.

"Yes I am. If we're going to dance, then we better dance," Mandora nodded as they entered the Control Room. The structural bracing of the Lair wasn't finished but all able bodied soldiers had been called away from that duty to protect the city and its inhabitants. Besides if an attack were to take place then the bracing would mean little for the structure.

"This is Mandora, Evil Chaser, calling the Mutant ships just above New Thunderian air space. If you intend to invade this planet's air space then I suggest you do so or we will come up there and help you," she ended her portion of the call and waited to see what would happen.

"Bullying them into a fight?" Tygra raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe or bullying them into surrender," she smirked. They waited a minute or two but there was no response.

"You sure they got the comms up and running again?" Mandora wanted to know.

"I was told that it was handled. Perhaps the signal isn't strong enough to get to them," Tygra shrugged. Usually when this kind of a problem came up everyone looked to Panthro for answers.

"Barely… read… you… pigdogs…" came the broken signal.

"Oh the little bastards did it now," Mandora's face scrunched up in anger.

"They're trying to goad you. Seems they need a reason to fight," Tygra smirked.

"Indeed. Why don't we send a little transmission of our own? Perhaps we pigdogs have at least one more trick up our sleeves," the Evil Chaser smirked back before grabbing the portable radio and heading outside for better reception.

"This is Mandora, Evil Chaser, calling the Mutant ships above New Thundera's airspace. Hand over the one responsible for the beating, rape, and murder of the Thunderians and maybe, just maybe, we'll tell you where you're beloved Slythe is. If you cannot agree to these terms, know that all of the weight of the Evil Chasers and New Thundera and her allies, will end you. You have five minutes to respond." With that she looked at Tygra and he said,

"Now we wait."


	26. Chapter 26

"What do you suppose Mandora is doing in there with Tygra?" Li-en asked his friend and the unit's medic, Tishen.

"I have no idea but we best be ready for whatever comes our way. Speaking of coming our way, how did Cavan take it when you had to leave her at the hospital?" The white tiger wanted to know.

"You know how she is. She told me to break her out of the hospital and bring her to the Captain," Li-en smirked.

"And you said?" His friend asked.

"I said that she was going to stay and listen to the doctors. And if we're lucky I'd get a matching scar," the liger couldn't hold back his smile.

"Chicks dig scars," Tishen nodded.

"She'd have killed you if she heard that," Li-en chuckled.

"True but it would have been worth it. We'll miss her out here today," the tiger said.

"We certainly will. She's better than half the new guys we got coming up the ranks and braver than most who have been doing this for a very long time," his friend nodded.

"Well we can't all be heroes but it looks like we might get our chance," Tishen pointed to the sky, seconds before the alarm for battle stations went off.

"Good luck my friend. See you on the other side," Li-en shook his friend's hand before returning to his position.

The Mutant ships started coming down from the mother ship, their guns at the ready. The orders were to wait until the ships were just in range before unloading the heavy artillery. At the sound of the alarm, all Thunderian and Evil Chaser ships were launched into the sky in attack formation.

"Something is off," Mandora said as she watched from the video screen inside the Lair.

"They aren't firing on us," Tygra nodded.

"Tell everyone to hold their fire until the Mutants engage. This could be a trap," Mandora ordered. Quickly Tygra got on the horn to the troops and relayed the message.

"What kind of trap?" He asked when he got off the line.

"Mutants have a tendency to send their slaves in first. That way none of their own men get killed in the first wave and those that they are fighting waste their ammunition. You guys never dealt with that on Third Earth because the Mutants never had enough equipment or slaves to go around," Mandora explained.

"How do we know if the ships are run by slaves and how do we know that they are not loyal to the Mutants?" Tygra gave her a look. She waggled her eyebrows and called her field commander. Then they both watched as the ship closest to the Mutant ships fired one blast across the enemy ship's nose. Nothing happened. Mandora then called for all ships to head towards the second wave that was coming in.

"They didn't fire," Tygra couldn't believe it.

"Because they want to live. They'll be met by the ground troops, who will fold those that can be into our ranks. Most slaves have no problem fighting for their own freedom," the Evil Chaser smirked.

"The Mutants are that stupid then," the tiger chuckled.

"I think we've established that," she winked and then said, "Time to ride!" She left the relative safety of the Lair and headed for her cycle. Tygra shook his head and followed her. He would command the ground troops in their efforts to be done with the Mutants.

Now the battle raged on and ships began to fall from the sky from both sides. Some limped back to their respective bases and Tygra shouted for casualty report.

"How many are down?" The tiger asked Captain Cougara.

"We've lost five craft along with most on board. We're holding steady as our new allies the Mutants sent have helped a great deal. Still their ships keep coming," the cougar admitted.

"We need to hit the mother ship," Tygra said.

"We've got volunteers for a dangerous mission aboard the Feliner," the Captain informed him.

"What kind of mission?" The tiger gave him a look.

"The kind where you pray to the Gods you make it because you just fired the largest warhead in your arsenal at the enemy," Cougara admitted.

"Sign me up. Get the craft still in the air ready to make a hole for us," Tygra said before running for the Feliner's hangar.


	27. Chapter 27

Inside the hospital, the sounds of the explosion rattled the patients. Some shouted, some cried, and some had to be physically restrained. Lea was one of the patients needing restraint and the nurses quickly sedated her so as not to aggravate her post traumatic stress symptoms.

Panthro had watched the entire incident occur and he wondered just how he could help her. Mental wounds were always more difficult than the physical ones as they tended to linger for years after the incident. War and battle were not new to him and the ugliness of both had long made him wonder how desensitized he was. Needless to say, Lea's condition was exacerbated by what the Mutants had done to her after the crash of the ship she and her comrades had been on.

"We've got more casualties coming in!" A shout from the hallway alerted all those nearby to finish what they were doing and come help. Once the staff left, the panther wheeled himself up close to the lioness's bed and took her hand in his. There had to be a way to help her and he was going to find it.

"He intends to do what?" Lion-O asked the message runner who had left the field of battle to inform the King of Tygra's decision.

"He's already gone sir. They're clearing a path for him. I was basically sent to tell you," the pumiger admitted.

"Son, you tell the commanders on the ground to do everything they can to wipe the Mutants from the planet and our airspace. No quarter will be given. Is that understood?" The lion asked.

"Yes, sir. Any message to Lord Tygra?" The messenger wanted to know.

"Yes. Tell him if the Mutants don't kill him, I will," the lion said. The messenger nodded and then was gone. The nurse rushed in and looked at the patient's vitals.

"Your blood pressure is through the roof. Please don't do that. We still need to get you stable," she told him.

"It's hard to relax when there are explosions going on outside," the lion gave her a look.

"We're already evacuating patients from the top floors to other local facilities. We could become a target while the fighting continues," she admitted.

"Good. Get everyone out. Are the emergency bomb shelters being used?" He wanted to know.

"Yes, they are for the more serious patients. Those that are ambulatory are heading to the clinics," she explained.

"We have orders to get the King to safety," one of the two very burly Cats who arrived at the doorway said.

"Only when the others have been evacuated," Lion-O said.

"No sir, now. Lord Tygra's last order before heading to the Feliner," the first one told him. Lion-O started to object but the second Cat said,

"The other ThunderCats are on their way out too. The hospital staff has everyone else moving as quickly as they can." The lion conceded only because he was getting tired. The nurse could see the look on his face and grew worried that he was exhausted so quickly.

"Make sure you keep him from getting stressed out. His heart isn't exactly one hundred percent," the nurse said as she quickly made sure all the sensors needed were detached and ready for connection in the bomb shelter.

"Yes Ma'am," the both nodded. With that they quickly moved their King out of the room and down the hallway.

The trip to the bomb shelter in the basement of the building was a relatively short one as they took the special elevator down into it. They got Lion-O in safe and headed back upstairs for the next trip with another less than mobile patient when the radios on their waistbands crackled to life.

 _"Feliner has left Thunderian airspace. Jaga help us all."_  Moments after the communication there as a loud explosion.


	28. Chapter 28

From the ground it looked as though the heavens were on fire. The massive explosion's concussion could only be felt in space but those on the ground were fairly certain that the bomb had detonated killing the Thunderians aboard the Feliner before it even reached its target.

"Great Jaga's ghost," Captain Cougara murmured as his radioman tried to reach the Feliner in hopes that the ship was still intact.

"I'm not getting anything," Punthar said.

"Keep trying. The concussion from the blast could have temporarily knocked out their communications. Punthar nodded wondering of his Captain had had too much Thunderian Whiskey the night before. The ship was gone and her crew was dead.

"Feliner, come in Feliner, this is New Thundera over," Punthar tried again despite his ill feelings.

"Thi… i… Fe… com… i… Ne… Thu…" it was garbled but it was there.

"Say again Feliner. You're breaking up," Punthar tried.

"This is Feliner. Come in New Thundera. We're alive!" The radioman on the ship, Taicen, shouted.

"Thank Jaga! What the hell happened up there?" Punthar wanted to know.

"Oh just a friendly neighborhood invasion from Third Earth! The Mutant mother ship is going up in flames!" Taicen was almost gleeful. The ships that had left Third Earth had finally arrived.

"Blast them all to hell! We'll do what we can on our end," Punthar smiled despite his friend not being able to see it.

"Yes sir, over and out!" Taicen responded. With that the call ended and Punthar told Cougara the excellent news.

"Fantastic! All right, get on the horn to the boys and girls out there. Let them know what has happened and that the King has ordered no quarter for the enemy. Then relay the message to the hospital so the King knows the good news," Cougara ordered.

"Yes sir!" Punthar smiled and quickly did everything he was asked. The message was relayed to the troops and while shouts of joy went up they knew they still had a job to do.

Locked in hand to hand combat, Tishen heard the shout for a medic but could not escape from his current position fighting a fairly large Monkian. The ship he had been on had crashed and the monkey was now very angry at being shot down. Doing the best he could, the white tiger kicked the Monkian in the leg wound that currently kept the Monkian on his feet. His foe screamed in pain but continued to lunge at him.  _All I've managed to do is piss him off,_  Tishen thought as he aimed again for the sore spot with his foot. Another successful strike and this time the monkey went to a knee. It wasn't much but it was enough to give the tiger time to grab his dagger and thrust it up sideways against the Monkian's throat.

"You won't do it. You Cats are too soft," the monkey smirked. The smirk turned to surprise when the tiger raked the blade across the skin, tearing the flesh.

"We're only soft when our King tells us to be," he said before running off toward the calls for a medic. Each shout was growing increasingly desperate and Tishen hoped he hadn't wasted too much time before getting to his patient.

"Li-en!" His best friend lay on the ground, a large blaster wound to his stomach.

"I need a transport immediately!" Tishen shouted at Hua who had called him over. Quickly Hua got on the radio as the tiger worked furiously to help his friend.

"You can't do this to me. Stay with me. Cavan needs you," Tishen pleaded. Li-en tried to form words but his strength was quickly fading.

"Transport is almost here!" Hua told them.

"Hang in there buddy," Tishen said as he could feel the life leave his friend.


	29. Chapter 29

The fighting raged on as the Mutants continued to attack despite the loss of their mother ships. Captain Cougara continued to direct the battle and as the tide turned in the Cats' favor he realized that there was more danger to be had.

"Get on the horn to the pilots! Any ship that attempts to dive-bomb is to be shot down immediately! They'll try to take as many of us out as they can since they think have lost!" He shouted to Punthar who quickly radioed the pilots and alerted the troops to watch the skies.

"I've alerted everyone sir. Should we alert the nearby buildings to evacuate?" Punthar asked.

"The air raid siren went off long ago with any luck everyone got to a bomb shelter. There is nowhere else safe for people to evacuate to. Sound the siren again and make calls to the hospital and the Lair," Cougara ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Punthar quickly made the calls. The Captain turned his focus to the skies where he counted the number of the enemy. There had been seventeen ships that they had had to deal with and now the number had been reduced to seven. Some had fled back toward the battle cruisers which had been their undoing as the reinforcements from Third Earth had destroyed the first of the battle cruisers and then made quick work of the remaining two.

"This is Mandora come in New Thundera!" A shout came in over the radio.

"This is New Thundera," Punthar responded.

"All mother ships are destroyed. Little ships are not trying to flee. Pull ground troops back!" She ordered.

"What are your intentions Mandora?" Punthar asked.

"Evil Chasers! Execute Plan Beta!" Was the only response he got and the puma was confused but before he had time to asked what she was talking about the Evil Chasers took to the skies with the jet packs on their backs.

"Did you know they could do that?" The puma asked the Captain.

"I did not. What in the name of Jaga's toothbrush are they…" he didn't get to finish as one of the small ships left was encircled by jet packed Evil Chasers. They fired their weapons on it and suddenly the ship stopped in mid-air, as if suspended by some sort of string. Then it followed the Evil Chasers as they lowered it to the ground. Quickly the hatch was forced open and the Mutants inside arrested before they could commit suicide.

"Why didn't they use that trick before?" Punthar asked. His question was answered as the next few attempts to do the exact same thing to the other remaining ships ended in disaster. Two of the ships were able to evade and then they crashed. One ship blew up on its own, having initiated some sort of self-destruct command.

"I take it back," the puma commented.

"We're down to three ships and it looks like they are turning around toward their comrades out in space. Radio ahead to the Feliner," Cougara ordered. Quickly the radio operator got on the horn and alerted the ships above the planet. Three fiery explosions were noted from below and then a cheer went up from the troops. The war was over.

Mandora landed her cycle not far from the command post. She smiled as she walked over to the Captain.

"Well done sir. Count you're wounded and get everyone the treatment they need. Then follow me. We need to find out from our captives if they have any information on why they want Slythe," she said.

"Agreed. Meet you in the Lair as soon as I can," Cougara said. He turned to Punthar who was already radioing the end had come and that all troops were to report back to base.

"Give the all clear to the civilians and let us see how many good Cats we lost today," he said.


	30. Chapter 30

"My King, I have news from the front," a messenger named Pola, rushed into the bomb shelter.

"Good news, I hope considering it's grown awfully quiet," the lion said.

"Very good news, sir. The war is over. We have claimed victory," the liger beamed.

"That's excellent news. What of the casualties? How bad is the damage to the city and the Lair?" Lion-O wanted to know.

"Oh no you don't. No working until we get you all settled. You're still not responding the way the doctors hoped you would be," Nurse Selia ordered.

"But…" Lion-O started.

"No buts! The last thing you need right now is a heart attack," Selia put her foot down. The messenger was wide-eyed at how she spoke to the King. She either had no clue just how she was talking to the leader of New Thundera or she was crazy.

"All right. You win," Lion-O conceded before turning his head toward Pola.

"Get Lord Tygra over here at his earliest convenience. I'm being moved back to my room," the lion explained. Pola saluted and then was off to relay the message.

Meanwhile, word had gotten around that the casualty list was going to be at least two or three days out as the healthy troops searched for the missing, the wounded were accounted for at the hospital, and the dead accounted for at the morgue. Cavan got the news while in bed and she worried that Li-en had not yet come to see her. She imagined he was busy helping out but something gnawed at her that said it wasn't so.

Looking around, she knew that everyone was busy trying to help those that needed it but the gnawing was growing worse. Though she had never admitted it to him, let alone herself, she knew that being friends was never going to be enough. The consequences that came from admitting her feelings made her not say anything however. If he did not feel the same way, she would lose him. He'd request a new partner for patrols and they'd probably never speak again. If he did feel the same way, they'd be ripped apart by the rules, forbidding fraternization between partners.

Pausing that thought for a moment, she remembered the look on Li-en's face when he entered the room after Lord Panthro had finished talking to him. There was something there; something that she wasn't sure of, something that he'd managed to keep hidden. That settled it. She reached over and grabbed the nearby wheelchair. She was going to get out of the room and see if anyone had heard anything.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nurse Torna asked as she caught the puma trying to leave her room.

"I have to find out if my friends are all right," Cavan tried to play it cool.

"I saw Tishen earlier. He was helping…" the nurse trailed off, realizing that her patient didn't know.

"Helping with what or whom?" The puma pressed.

"Li-en. He had a severe stomach wound. The doctors are still working on him," Torna admitted.

"How severe was it?" Cavan swallowed hard.

"I don't have all the details," it was a lie but the nurse couldn't bear to tell her what she did know.

"I need to know if they think he'll be all right," the puma pushed.

"I can find out but you have to promise to get back into bed. Can't have you ripping your stitches," Torna told her. Reluctantly Cavan agreed and the nurse got her back into bed before heading down the hallway to find out anything she could.

At the Lair, Tygra shook his head as he and Mandora had just finished up interviewing the Mutant captives. The interviews had turned out to be useless. All they had managed to snag was a few underlings and they didn't know why their orders were to retrieve Slythe. All they knew was that they were told they had to fight. Mandora thought they were lying considering they coughed up the information so easily but Tygra figured that after everything that had happened, there was no point in keeping secrets. After all, their families would assume they were dead anyway, given the Mutants' penchant for suicide before dishonor.

"Well we've got nothing but I think the Mutants will think twice about attempting to find Slythe here or on Third Earth," Mandora said.

"In the meantime, what do we do with the captives? We can't send them back to Plundarr. They'll be executed," the tiger pointed out.

"A public trial would lead to backlash against their families. It's probably best I take them with me when I leave. I'll discuss it with Lion-O," the Evil Chaser told him.

"We should go check up on him. Thanks again for all your help Mandora. Not sure we'll ever be able to repay you and your troops," Tygra smiled.

"Just doing our best to protect the peoples of the universe," she winked.


	31. Chapter 31

Two weeks later, Lion-O was finally able to sit up in his hospital bed. He was regaining his strength and the nurses were helping to keep his muscles from atrophying. Despite their protests however, he was getting regular updates regarding the status of the wounded, the work being done to fix Cat's Lair, and attempting to keep all of his usual day to day activities from piling up. Snarf had practically taken up residence in the hospital only allowing the King to be on his own when dealing with matters of state and the lion was slowly being driven insane. He loved his former nursemaid but it was getting to be too much.

The nightmares had vanished and sleep had replaced them so it certainly aided in his recovery. The blood seemed to be pumping better through his veins and the tests that the doctors were performing every three days continued to show he was on the mend. It was extraordinary considering the fact that he's had a sword driven through him and he'd collapsed from exhaustion. Still there was worry that his condition could deteriorate if he moved through recovery too quickly.

"Is this a bad time?" Came a voice from the doorway of the hospital room. Lion-O looked up from his paperwork and beamed.

"Never," the lion said as Cheetara walked over to the chair that was next to his bed. She was up and walking around with her arm still in a sling and her ribs still bandaged. The doctors had wanted her to wait before walking around but the speedster was not one to sit around.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked, looking around the room.

"Pretty good considering but I still wonder if I'll ever be able to lead the ThunderCats again," he heaved a sigh. It was a real concern as Tygra was still doing the day to day of leading the ThunderCats.

"I sent Snarf to get more candy fruit," he smirked as the cheetah returned his gaze to him.

"Good," she smiled and stood up. She leaned over and gave him a rather chaste kiss.

"Oh you have no idea how badly I want to be out of this bed," Lion-O smirked as they parted.

"You and me both my King," she gave him a wink and slowly sat back down.

"How are the ribs?" He asked noting how gingerly she'd taken to sitting.

"Better but I'm still out of commission for at least another month. Most of the others are the same way. Admittedly only you and Ben-Gali could be in here longer," the cheetah admitted.

"How is Ben? They're taking good care of him right?" The lion asked, concerned that the white tiger's side and organs were taking a long time to heal.

"He's only going with baby steps for now. No getting out of bed for himself just yet and the stitches seem to be holding. The doctors are confident he'll make a full recovery provided no infection sets in," she smiled.

"Excellent news. I assume Pumyra is giving him personal attention," the lion waggled his eyebrows and it made Cheetara laugh despite her ribs and immediately regret.

"Yes. It seems almost dying was enough for Ben to ask her out on a date. What is it with Thunderian men and their shyness?" She wanted to know.

"I have no idea what Ben was waiting for. If we hadn't rescued them he might never have asked her out and they would have spent years being alone and together at the same time," Lion-O chuckled.

"Yes that would have been awkward. Why were you waiting?" she asked.

"I have no experience in that department. I know I'm a big adult now but inside is that scared little Cat who never went through puberty. Well that and I'm the King. Could you imagine the scandal if it got out that I was denied a date by Lady Cheetara. There'd be the automatic assumption that something was wrong with me," he chuckled. Again she laughed and winced at the same time.

"Sorry I shouldn't make you laugh," he said.

"I rather laugh, trust me. It's good to have you still with us," she gave him a tight smile.

"Oh no argument there," the lion smiled back as he took her hand in his. Giving it a squeeze, he was about to say something when the nurse strolled in with Snarf not far behind. The King rolled his eyes and Cheetara tried to contain herself.

"It seems that Lord Tygra has set up the Medal Ceremony for now so I need to borrow the King for a little while," Nurse Selia smiled.

"That sounds like something I had best get to," Lion-O said.

"Admittedly so. Just remember to not overtax yourself. I'd prefer to not have a repeat from the funerals," Selia gave a tight smile. Despite it being against the doctor's wishes, Tygra had taken Lion-O, at his own wishes, out of the hospital for the burials of the Cats who had fought bravely for their planet and their people. The families appreciated the King caring that much for his troops despite his condition. Later that night however, the doctors had to rush to him when he became over tried and his breathing had become erratic.

"This should be easy and I won't have to leave this hospital bed," he tried to reassure the nurse. She pushed a button and the bed portion of the mobile unit detached and the orderlies came along to move it onto a smaller, more compact, wheel base which made moving about the building easier.

"Who is the last Cat on the list?" Lion-O asked two hours later as Tygra and the orderlies helped him down the hallway.

"Two actually. They had a hand in saving Cheetara and Panthro. A puma named Cavan and a liger named Li-en. They are both up for bravery medals and ThunderCat standing," Tygra explained.

"I remember Panthro telling me about them when he visited the other day. They deserve it," Lion-O smiled as they moved him into the room. There they found an unconscious Li-en being looked after by Cavan. Her leg wound had healed but the wound in her heart was obvious.

"My King!" She bolted out of her seat and stood at attention.

"At ease. How are you today?" Lion-O asked. She almost crumpled back into her seat.

"I've been better sir," she admitted.

"How is he doing? The doctors said he had a nasty stomach wound," the lion wanted to know.

"He died on the operating table twice. They aren't sure if he'll make it. It's my fault. I wasn't out there to help him," she wobbled on her feet and one of the orderlies grabbed her before she fell. Ordinarily she was not so weak but the news had just been delivered to her that if Li-en did not wake from his medically induced coma when they tried to bring him out of it tomorrow, they would need a medical decision to be made. One that she would have to make as the liger had no family left.

"This is not your fault. You both did what you were trained to do and you did it well. I know that even if he can't show it, he is glad you're here," Lion-O tried to reassure her. Then he took the medals from Tygra and placed them on the food tray.

"These will be here when he wakes up. When you both are one hundred percent, I expect to see you at ThunderCat training. You did your people a great service and you shall be rewarded for that service. I want updates on his condition. Now you get some rest and we'll talk again soon," Lion-O said.

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"Good," he smiled and the orderlies quickly got him back to his room. Tygra promised he'd be back later after Lion-O had gotten some rest and the lion was left tom himself. A note from Cheetara told him that she'd taken Snarf back to the temporary base of operations so he could get some sleep.

"My King, do you have a few moments?" A familiar voice asked from the doorway.

"Leanna, it is good to see you. Yes, please come in," the lion smiled. He was tired but seeing his half-sister up and not being monitored twenty-four/seven was good.

"I just wanted to say how sorry I…" she started.

"Do not apologize. It is I who should be apologizing to you. There is something you need to know and I need to explain it to you. Forgive me for keeping the truth from you but I wanted you to be ready for what I have to say," he admitted.

"I…" the lioness was thoroughly confused. She had been improving with the help of Pumyra and the hospital staff but she certainly wasn't one hundred percent. However when the puma suggested talking to the King she hadn't imagined the conversation would go like this.

"I'm your half-brother," Lion-O said.

 **T** **H** **E**   **E** **N** **D**


End file.
